With another harsh winter approaching and an energy crisis looming in Ukraine, women and girls need your support now more than ever.

Childbirth is extremely dangerous, with very limited access to basic health care. Violence against women — along with sexual exploitation and abuse — is on the rise. Meanwhile, widespread blackouts and attacks on hospitals, roads, and energy infrastructure continue to disrupt essential services.

But thanks to supporters like you, neither air alarms nor frigid winter temperatures stop UNFPA’s medical experts from providing sexual and reproductive health services to those who need it.

Will you rush a gift to deliver lifesaving care this winter to women and girls living through war in Ukraine and wherever your help is needed most? Your gift will be 2X-matched through Giving Tuesday.

Ukraine is bracing for what officials say will be its worst winter in the war. Temperatures can drop as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit. The next few months will be brutal.

Amid air raids and cold darkness, Oksana, who lives on the outskirts of eastern Kyiv, told the BBC that she and her husband Ievgen worry constantly for their two-year-old daughter, Katia. "I can't describe with words the animal fear when you take your child to the shelter during the explosions. I have never felt anything like that in my life and I wouldn't want anyone to feel anything like that. The thought that she might be scared because there's no light - this is terrible."

"Even during the harshest frost, aid to patients doesn't stop. We must assist these people, because often it's their only available consultation," said doctor Vitaliy Kucher.

Women at a UNFPA mobile clinic in Ukraine

Even in the most severe weather conditions and most remote areas, UNFPA’s mobile gynecological teams and barrier-free access gynecological offices continue their extremely important work in 12 cities throughout the country.

But services like this are at risk right now. The U.S. government defunded UNFPA this year, forcing closures of safe spaces for women and girls. These centers provide psychological and mental health support to women traumatized by the war in Ukraine and at increased risk of violence.

We’re appealing to you today to ensure we can continue being there for women and girls in Ukraine and beyond, no matter what.

As women and girls in Ukraine suffer through the bitter winter during wartime, your support is urgently needed. Will you make a 2X-matched gift today to deliver lifesaving sexual and reproductive health care to those who need it most around the world?

Thank you for being there for women and girls.

— USA for UNFPA