(C) U.S. State Dept
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Humanitarian aid is essential to Ukrainian lives [1]

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Date: 2024-03-25 20:01:37+00:00

When 4-year old Mariya opened her box of warm weather clothes in Izyum, Ukraine, she was overcome with excitement.

“I got a jacket with crocodiles. It’s exactly what I wanted,” she said.

Mariya’s family lost most of their belongings when their house was destroyed by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. After moving several times, they still struggle to afford firewood to keep themselves warm in the winter.

They — and millions like them — are relying on donations from international organizations, national aid groups and private charities. In 2024, an estimated 14.6 million people in Ukraine still require humanitarian assistance.

People across Europe and the world are joining together to help Ukrainians both inside and outside Ukraine. European Union and EU Member States have provided $3.3 billion in humanitarian aid, emergency assistance, budget support and crisis response, and the United States has provided nearly $2.9 billion in humanitarian assistance since February 2022.

This government aid is bolstered by individuals around the world, working together to provide assistance to Ukrainian families.

For example, using the Italian crowdfunding site eppela.com, people across Italy donated more than 300,000 euros to provide thermal clothing and generators. Matching this spirit, Italian clothing manufacturers such as Campagnolo and Macron offered special rates for the clothing drive.

“A T-shirt costs about 30 euros, and we paid only five,” says Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, who led the Vatican-driven effort. “With the large amount of money raised thanks to [the Italian people], we were also able to buy generators, which are life there.”

In the Netherlands, the Lions Foundation Kyiv is designing and donating simple water filters to purify water from rain, rivers, lakes and snow melt so Ukrainians can get clean drinking water even when Russian attacks destroy power grids.

“No electricity often translates into no running water,” says Guido van Engelen, who lived in Ukraine for 30 years. Without electricity, pipes often freeze in winter, a disaster for drinking water. “There are villages where people have had no power for weeks. It’s unimaginable,” Guido says.

Along with humanitarian aid, partner governments are providing defensive military equipment, including defense systems to protect civilians, cities, and schools from Russian aircraft and drones.

Beyond sending money and supplies to Ukraine, people across Europe are also welcoming Ukrainian refugees into their communities.

In Milan, where many refugees have settled, Italians such as Francesco Decio work to make Ukrainians feel at home.

“I feel it’s my responsibility as an Italian and European citizen to do anything in my power to support Ukraine and help them achieve the true peace they deserve,” says Decio, who works in consulting. “Most of us also simply don’t want to be bystanders and do nothing. We don’t want to be the ones who did nothing to help Ukraine win or to prevent it from falling.”

But some can’t leave. While Mariya and her family have benefitted from humanitarian donations, her older sister Sasha laments the destruction of their school and the difficulty of learning online with a donated tablet computer.

“I was an excellent student in maths,” Sasha says. “But now it’s hard to understand everything. I also want to go to school to play football with the boys again.”

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[1] Url: https://share.america.gov/humanitarian-aid-is-essential-to-ukrainian-lives/?utm_source=homepage&utm_medium=hero&utm_campaign=share_america&utm_id=123

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