Ukraine is Europe's second largest country – and second poorest after Moldova. The conflict that originally began in eastern Ukraine in 2014 has killed over 14,000 people, and left more than 3.4 million people needing urgent assistance. Millions of people have exhausted their resources, and the numbers struggling to put food in the table doubled to over 1.2 million by 2017.
With the recent Russian invasion in late February 2022, and ensuing war across Ukraine today, at least 12 million people have fled their homes due to the violence, with more than 5 million fleeing to neighbouring countries and some 7 million displaced within Ukraine itself (as of July 2022).
The majority of those fleeing the country are women, children, and the elderly; men 18-60 are barred from leaving Ukraine, forcing families to split up as they seek safety.
MWB remains dedicated to working in Ukraine during these dangerous times. You can help provide more emergency aid to those sheltering in Ukraine and those fleeing the violence through MWB Canada's Ukraine Emergency Appeal today.
Click here to donate now.
Staff in Ukraine are focused on helping those that cannot flee, providing emergency food, clothing, supplies, and shelter. We are also providing transportation and assistance to those fleeing to safer areas in Ukraine and surrounding countries. In some cases MWB coordinators in Ukraine are opening their own homes up to shelter families in their basements, to protect them from the missile attacks.
With families fleeing the violence, MWB is pausing registration of new family and child sponsorships in Ukraine at this time. Staff is focused on assisting families and the vulnerable that remain. Children in institutions have either been evacuated by the government to family in other areas of Ukraine, or to shelters in bordering Romania, Moldova and Poland.
Historically, our work has been focused in western Ukraine, in Sarny, Rivne & Blahodatne, and in the area affected by the 1986 Chernobyl accident. In 2021, MWB began expanding its work into eastern Ukraine, before the Russian invasion, helping families in need through our Families-in-Crisis (sponsorship) program, and delivering Operation Christmas Love aid packages of food and supplies.
Pray for Ukraine and peace today.