The armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of homes, factories and mines have been destroyed, and the fertile land of the region has been torn apart, which has damaged the farming legacy in Ukraine. According to a Jan. 9, 2015, report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 5.2 million people are living in conflict-affected areas, more than 633,500 people are internally displaced, and more than 593,600 people have fled Ukraine for neighboring countries. People are homeless with no social or health infrastructures to help them meet their daily needs. This situation is exacerbated by the current winter weather conditions.
Working with ACT Alliance members Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the Russian Orthodox Church, Lutheran Disaster Response is providing food, water, blankets, diapers and hygiene kits to approximately 20,000 refugees and IDPs who are from conflict-affected areas in Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, with particular attention given to women and children. Psychosocial assistance will also be provided to the refugees and IDPs receiving materials.
Please join us as we pray for our brothers and sisters who are running from conflict in Ukraine. We will continue to accompany them and
work with our partners to provide assistance in the midst of this crisis. If you would like to support Lutheran Disaster Response’s work to provide humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, please visit the giving page.
