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Dear friend, Thank you for being part of our global community. This email is part of our ongoing series of updates to help keep you informed about Mercy Corps’ emergency response in Ukraine and surrounding countries. The war in Ukraine has now displaced more than 7.5 million people, and an estimated 15.7 million people urgently require humanitarian assistance and protection. The millions who have fled the violence are finding safety in Ukraine and surrounding countries, as Mercy Corps teams and partners continue to provide basic necessities, including food and shelter. With World Refugee Day approaching on June 20, it is important to remember those who have had to flee their homes because of conflict and disaster. There are more than 100 million people who have been forcibly displaced around the world, including the millions unable to stay in their homes in Ukraine. Read on to hear the story of one family’s experience. Escaping the bombing Valeria, her mother, and her one-year-old daughter fled their home outside of Kharkiv after the shelling of a nearby oil storage facility. They are staying at one of the many shelters in western Ukraine supported by Mercy Corps. The journey here was hard on her young daughter. Valeria tells us, “During the day, she plays and smiles, but at night, she cries. She wanted to sleep, but it was difficult to sleep on the bus.” The shelter has provided them with safety as they plan their next steps. She is grateful for the peace it has brought to her family and she says that here her baby can finally sleep. With Mercy Corps’ support, our partners have established shelters for thousands of people escaping the violence of the war. Most shelters are located in buildings used for other purposes before the war. The shelter where Valeria is staying used to be a cultural center. It has been operating since the beginning of the war and at one point housed up to 600 people.
Valeria and her daughter have found a safe space to stay at one of the Mercy Corps-supported shelters that used to be a cultural center in western Ukraine.
Reaching people trapped by the war While Mercy Corps is providing support for families displaced by the war, we’re also working to reach those who have been unable to leave their homes. Volunteers at one partner organization, which operates 25 warehouses in Ukraine, work around the clock to process donations, including food, medicine, hygiene products, and other essential items. They respond to specific requests and their drivers take significant risks to deliver exactly what people need to cities across eastern Ukraine in the midst of the most intense conflict.
Moskalyuk Liliya pulls medicine from shelves to fulfill requests for people trapped by the war in eastern Ukraine.
Will you join us as a Partner In Possibility today?
We’ll be in touch again soon with more updates from Ukraine and from our work around the world. Sincerely, The Mercy Corps team |
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