Monday, February 1, 2016

Ukraine: Helping people caught on the frontline

Humanitarian needs are still high in Ukraine, especially in villages and towns close to the contact line where fighting has taken place until recently. Since autumn 2015, aid has been finally reaching those in need in these areas. Thanks also to EU-funded assistance, Svetlodarsk – a town near the contact line – is slowly starting to come back to life.  


Local inhabitants are receiving electronic vouchers worth 450 hyrvnia (around €18) per month which allows them to purchase selected food and hygienic items in nearby supermarkets, some of which have just recently re-opened. International NGOs, like People in Need (PIN), are distributing the vouchers on behalf of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), a project funded by the European Commission through its Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO).




A psychiatric hospital destroyed by fighting in June 2014 in Sloviansk, Ukraine. The crisis in Ukraine has forced more 2.6 million people away from their homes. An estimated five million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The EU, including the European Commission and Member States, has contributed around €242 million in financial aid to the people of Ukraine in a joint gesture of solidarity since the beginning of the crisis.

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