Humanitarian context
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 17.6 million people in Ukraine are in need of humanitarian aid and 14.6 million are in need of medical care, particularly in areas close to the frontline, where only 4% of aid is delivered. Some eight million people have fled the country and five million are internally displaced. Access to basic services remains a major challenge, with one third of the population facing food insecurity.
Violations of international humanitarian law have serious consequences: 170,000 square kilometres of the country are contaminated by explosive ordnance.
The stabilisation of the frontline and new recruitment raise fears of a protracted war, exacerbated by winter threats to energy infrastructure, which are likely to increase humanitarian needs and create more mass displacement.
BENEFICIARIES
workers
Our activity
Action Against Hunger worked in Ukraine from 2014 to 2018 and resumed operations in February 2022. Our coordination is currently based in Kiev, with activities focused in western Ukraine (Chernivtsi), mainly aimed at supporting displaced people and host communities; and in eastern Ukraine (Dnipro and Kharkov), with activities focused on assisting highly vulnerable populations directly affected by the conflict in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Donetsk. This assistance is provided both directly by Action Against Hunger and through humanitarian partners already working in the region.
We also expanded our intervention to the southern regions of Odessa and Mykolaiv, prioritising the distribution of food and non-food items. This expansion underscores our commitment to reach vulnerable populations throughout Ukraine, addressing both immediate needs and longer-term recovery efforts. By expanding operations to new regions, we seek to increase our impact and reach more vulnerable communities, contributing to the overall humanitarian response in Ukraine.
WHERE WE HELP
We help 24.5 million people each year. We work in 55 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, those most threatened by hunger.
EYEWITNESSES
IRINA, NATALIA, AND OLHA: "WE COULDN'T FIND THE WORDS"
Irina, Natalia and Olha are three teachers from Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine. When the conflict broke out, they were at a loss for words to describe and try to explain to their students what was going on. "The fear is so great that it is impossible to describe. As teachers, we told the children about genocide, war and famine in class. But what do you say now when you see it? We couldn't find the words."
Life in Ukraine became unbearable overnight: "One morning it was relatively calm and there was a moment when it was possible to leave the shelter. I thought that not only would I be able to get food, but that the children would also be able to shower. And then, at that moment, an attack began. I had to throw my daughters in the basement. After that, we didn't let the children leave the shelter again."
"My basement was not suitable. It wasn't a normal room where you keep something, just a hole in the ground nailed with boards. My husband tore the boards off during the attack on the city and practically had to throw my little daughter in there and cover her with the boards. My husband and I were on the floor."
Since the conflict began in Ukraine, millions of people have fled to neighbouring countries such as Moldova, Poland and Romania. At Action Against Hunger we prioritise the distribution of food and basic necessities, provide hot meals to families crossing the border, distribute food parcels and hygiene kits, operate emergency health centres, ensure families have access to safe drinking water and set up child-friendly spaces so families have a place to rest and recuperate.