Project HOPE’s Team Deploys to New Liberated City of Kherson, Ukraine, to Provide Support

Washington, DC (17 November 2022) – Project HOPE – the global health and humanitarian aid organization – has completed an initial needs assessment after the liberation of Kherson to identify the greatest health needs in the city. As one of the first humanitarian organizations to arrive in Kherson, Project HOPE has delivered an initial procurement of more than 700 hygiene kits to those in need.

“The road from Odesa to Kherson is marked by villages that have been destroyed and roads severely damaged,” said Artem Murach, Project HOPE’s Ukraine Information Officer who deployed as part of the team. “Ruined bridges burned vehicles lying upside down, missiles stuck in the ground and mines are just a part of what Russians left. Some small villages on the way seem to be completely wiped out. Local people are reported to have been hiding in their cellars for months, without seeing what’s happening.”

Medical needs are high in the city following months of occupation. One former doctor at a hospital Project HOPE assessed told the team that they expect a higher influx of patients from rural areas, where the situation was described as “catastrophic.”

Other challenges that were highlighted included a lack of fuel, water, and electricity, which could especially impact the large portion of the elderly population that has chronic diseases. There are also serious staff shortages and only 10 ambulances left in the city. There are no vehicles for transporting the patients who need urgent care and need to be evacuated.

Based on these challenges, the primary needs to come include diesel fuel, clean water, vaccinations, medicines, specialists, vehicles, and mobile medical clinics.

How Project HOPE is Responding in Ukraine:

• Supporting 97 health facilities in Ukraine with medicines and medical supplies, including a neurosurgical microscope, 22 pallets of sutures, 3,000 packets of cancer medication, and a variety of health and surgical kits
• Operating four mobile medical units (MMUs) to provide primary health care in the Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv areas, providing over 17,000 consultations
• Donated 22 hospital-grade generators and 4 vans to health facilities and partners to continue providing life-saving support
• Provided trauma training courses to 548 trauma surgeons and students in 15 health facilities in Ukraine
• Completed multiple reconstruction projects in hospitals in Irpin and Bucha cities
• Provided personal legal consultations for IDPs in partnership with Infection Control in Ukraine
• Conducted “Physical and Occupational Therapy in Emergency Contexts” trainings in partnership with USAID and Momentum Wheels for Humanity Ukraine for 205 medical professionals from 31 separate healthcare facilities in Ukraine

Project HOPE continues to implement a highly coordinated, comprehensive humanitarian intervention in Ukraine and in the neighboring countries of Moldova, Poland, and Romania. Emergency programming in Ukraine focuses on supporting local primary and secondary health facilities with essential medical equipment and supplies. In the surrounding countries, Project HOPE has partnered with 11 local organizations to target gaps in essential services including primary health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and protection. In all locations, Project HOPE continues to work closely with government officials, local partners, and coordination clusters to ensure efforts address the most pressing needs.

About Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE is a leading global health and humanitarian organization operating in more than 25 countries around the world. We work side-by-side with local health systems to save lives and improve health. Our mission is at the epicenter of today’s greatest health challenges, including infectious and chronic diseases, disasters and health crises, maternal, neonatal and child health and the policies that impact how health care is delivered. For more information on Project HOPE and its work around the world, visit www.ProjectHOPE.org and follow us on Twitter @ProjectHOPEorg.