[ [link removed] ]Mercy Corps

Dear friend,

The June 6 destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine
triggered a large-scale humanitarian and environmental disaster — creating
urgent new challenges for hundreds of thousands of people who have already
endured more than 15 months of war.

Families across the region remain displaced due to flooding that submerged
entire towns and villages. Clean water continues to be a critical need for
the 700,000 people who relied on water from the Kakhovka reservoir.

Mercy Corps has been responding in Ukraine since the start of the
full-scale war in February 2022. Our teams and partners continue to work
across the affected region, meeting urgent needs like shelter and clean
water, and providing direct cash assistance so people can purchase the
items they need most.

Your
support fuels our work helping communities in crisis in Ukraine and 40+
countries worldwide. Thank you.

This update provides a few snapshots of our emergency response — and the
people who have been affected by this latest disaster in Ukraine.

After the flood: Our immediate mobilization


[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Mercy Corps team members unload supplies at a shelter in Kherson Oblast,
Ukraine, where flooding has driven many local residents from their homes.


Immediately following the dam’s destruction, Mercy Corps mobilized our
team and partners to help displaced families who sought shelter in
schools, hospitals, and train stations.

Within days, we were distributing ready-to-eat food kits to evacuation
shelters in Kherson, and together with our local partner organizations, we
started registering households for emergency cash. As our response
continues, we will maintain focus on helping the most vulnerable people,
including the elderly and people living with disabilities.

Mercy Corps’ partnership model has been central to our response in
Ukraine. Having partners with pre-established contacts in the affected
areas has been essential to our rapid response.

In partnership: Faith, Hope, Love


[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Rodion (gray shirt) is a social worker with Vira, Nadia, Lyubov (which
translates to "Faith, Hope, Love"), a Mercy Corps partner that mobilized
following the destruction of the nearby Nova Kakhovka dam.


Rodion, a social worker with one of our local partner organizations,
explained the importance of cash assistance in the aftermath of this
emergency: "When we ask about what they need: clothes, food, medical help,
the first aid that people ask for is cash, because they can distribute the
money according to their needs. They say they need to rent a dwelling,
travel, find a job, and visit a doctor as needed."

Rodion described meeting people who were in shock after enduring flooding
and frequent shelling. "Till the very last moment they believe that
everything will be fine with them and do not want at all to leave their
places, because they hope that the water will flow off in a couple of
days… But those who arrived here understand that they will not be able to
return in the nearest future, though they all want to."

Evacuating from an island, in search of work


[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Igor and Lyubov, a husband and wife who fled to Mykolaiv after the dam
broke, arrived at the train station with just a few small bags after
evacuating their home.


In addition to claiming homes, the flooding has also cost people their
livelihoods across southern Ukraine. Lyubov and Igor, who are receiving
cash assistance from Mercy Corps, fled to live with their daughter in
Mykolaiv. The flooding left Igor without work. Lyubov has already lost her
job due to frequent shelling in the area.

"We came here with hope to find something," Lyubov said. "We are planning
to stay in Mykolaiv as long as Kherson is under shelling.... We are going
to stay with our daughter for now. We plan to spend this cash assistance
for living, food, and rent because we don't have a job right now. Thank
you so much."

Right now,
we know that the immense humanitarian needs across southern Ukraine will
remain long after the water recedes. In particular, the ripple effects of
the dam disaster on the agricultural sector, a pillar of Ukraine’s
economy, will be severe and long-lasting.

The compassion and generosity of people
like you fuels the work of our teams and partners to make lasting change
in 40+ countries. [ [link removed] ]Now, as urgent needs skyrocket around the world,
please consider making your
first gift to support
our global humanitarian response today.


[ [link removed] ]Give now [ [link removed] ]▸



Thank you for your commitment to families in places like Ukraine, Syria,
Somalia — and in communities around the world where Mercy Corps is helping
to build a bolder, brighter future for us all.

Sincerely,

Kyle DeGraw
Head of Media, Europe

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