The wave of solidarity with those affected by the war in Ukraine is historic for us: it is the second highest amount we have collected to date. This vote of confidence from the Swiss population goes hand in hand with a great responsibility, which we take very seriously. Through controls and evaluations, we guarantee that every donation is used as efficiently and effectively as possible for the people who need it most.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started a year ago, caused enormous suffering. United Nations estimates that 17.6 million people in Ukraine are currently in need of humanitarian aid. More than 8 million Ukrainians are still displaced within Europe and 5.9 million people have been displaced from their homes in Ukraine. Moreover, important civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and maternity clinics have been massively damaged since the beginning of the war.
In addition to emergency aid provided in the first weeks after the outbreak of war, we are now also implementing larger medium- and long-term projects. The focus is on people who live close to combat zones or who were forced to flee their homes. The people supported include particularly single parents with children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, elderly and people with disabilities.
Through the work of Swiss partner organisations on the ground, focus our aid’s focus is on four thematic priorities:
Reconstruction of essential buildings and houses, especially in Kiev, in the north and in the east of Ukraine. Moreover, we are funding projects in order to help the population to cope with the cold winter (distribution of insulation material, wood and coal for heating and the construction of “Heating Points”).
Access to health care and psychosocial support for people traumatised by war. For example, by repairing hospitals or setting up mobile health clinics.
Access to education. The war poses major challenges to ensure continuity and access to education for all children. To help those affected, our Swiss partner organisations have started setting up learning spaces in refugee shelters and distributing learning materials to help Ukrainian children continue their schooling.
Assistance for displaced persons and refugees. The timing of return is still uncertain for many refugees, which poses major challenges, including basic services (health, education, essential goods, etc.) or reception conditions for refugees, especially in central and western Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and Switzerland.
In the first days after the attack on Ukraine, we already sent humanitarian experts to the Polish border to evaluate the most urgent needs on the ground, followed by a project check in Romania. Since the 11th of March, we funded the first projects of our Swiss partner organisations working on the ground to provide much-needed assistance, especially to refugees in Romania, Moldova, Poland and Western Ukraine. From June 2022, Swiss Solidarity’s Swiss partner organizations were able to spread to Kiev and ever further into eastern Ukraine. From this point on, larger, longer-term projects were also funded in Ukraine, while activities in neighbouring countries were reduced as the number of refugees fell.
The war in Ukraine will continue for some time and the humanitarian needs will also remain immense. However, Swiss Solidarity’s experience shows that public interest in humanitarian crises diminishes over time, as Miren Bengoa, Director of Swiss Solidarity, points out: “Swiss Solidarity wants to secure aid on the ground for the longer term in order to continue supporting the Ukrainian population in the face of the ongoing war and to enable them one day to return to as normal a life as possible.”
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Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
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