Andy Drozdziak
Resolve is still strong amongst Ukrainians despite emerging problems of homelessness, mental illness, and human trafficking after two years of war, according to Catholic aid agency CAFOD.
CAFOD has helped over 140,000 vulnerable women, men and children across Ukraine to access vital aid including food, water, shelter, child-friendly spaces and counselling support.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has left 3.6 million people internally displaced and over 6 million seeking refuge outside the country. Shelling, airstrikes and other destruction from the war has left thousands of people in Ukraine living in damaged buildings or left homeless, often with disrupted access to electricity and heating.
Amidst the daily reality of life in a warzone, Ukrainians have faced two winters of freezing temperatures and power cuts, as well as over 24 months of food shortages, homelessness and mental trauma.
In spite of these problems, CAFOD’s Emergency Programme Officer Henry Wilson-Smith highlighted the ‘astonishing’ response of the Ukrainian people.
“I met elderly couples whose family homes were destroyed by shelling but were determined to rebuild brick by brick. One family got halfway through when another shell wrecked their work. We have also seen local people reconnecting electricity themselves, digging wells and cleaning the streets. In homeless shelters, veterans are planting gardens to grow food and build more wings for new clients. People’s resolve is astonishing,” Mr Wilson-Smith told the Universe.
Since the full-scale invasion, at least one quarter of the population has been displaced, some as many as four times. For those living in Donetsk and Luhansk, where the separatist conflict has raged since 2014, this number is even higher. Local organisations working with CAFOD in Ukraine also speak of a worrying rise in social problems – an increase in conflict-related trauma and mental health problems among ordinary citizens and a marked rise in human trafficking.
Thanks to generous support for CAFOD’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), of which CAFOD is a member, the charity has helped over 140,000 vulnerable women, men and children access vital aid including food, water, shelter, child-friendly spaces and counselling support across Ukraine, working through local Ukrainian partner organisations. However, the daily threat from shelling and airstrikes continues and the conflict has also brought longer-term problems to the surface.
Henry Wilson-Smith shared CAFOD’s thanks with Universe readers, also urging them to continue to ‘pray, give and stand by us’ as the mission to help Ukraine goes on.
He said: “Thank you to everyone who has supported CAFOD and the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and the work of our local partners across Ukraine. It would not have been possible to help so many people without this incredible generosity. Please continue to pray, give and stand by us as we prepare for the year ahead.” For more details of CAFOD’s work, visit cafod.org.uk/Ukraine
Picture: A local woman receives a food parcel from CAFOD’s partner Depaul Ukraine at their Humanitarian Centre for people who have lost their homes in Odesa .Photo: MaciekMusialek/DE
