Author

Pilar Cuesta

Humanitarian Officer
Caritas Europa

The conflict in Ukraine is in its fourth year. Millions of people continue to suffer on a daily basis the consequences of prolonged violence. Fighting between the parties to the conflict keeps on claiming civilian lives and destroying homes, hospitals, schools and vital infrastructure.

The persisting displacement of people is a challenge. The security situation in the conflict region remains extremely tense, with regular cases of ceasefire violations and shelling in the residential settlements. Indirect shelling and increased use of heavy artillery continue to threaten the lives of people living in the conflict area and have disastrous impacts in far and unexpected places. The ongoing violence makes life difficult and dangerous for people living along the “buffer zone” between the government controlled areas and the non-government controlled areas.

With so many crises in the world, competition for funding humanitarian assistance is increasingly fierce. However, the human suffering triggered by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine must remain a priority, especially since the number of people in need continues to increase. People have exhausted their savings, their ability to cope has been stretched too far. The suspension of social payments and pensions to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in 2016 has further aggravated the protection situation in Ukraine.

An improvement has been observed in the food security, education, shelter and non-food items sectors, with smaller numbers of people in need compared to last year. This development may partially be attributed to the humanitarian assistance provided by non-governmental organisations, such as Caritas. However, the situation remains fragile and prone to new deterioration. Since the beginning of the conflict, the war has claimed over 10,000 lives and injured 23,000 people. 2,000 of those killed were civilians, most of whom died as a result of indiscriminate shelling in civilian areas. Shelling frequently causes interruptions to water and electricity supplies. The number of displaced people continues to increase. By April 2017, 1,583,827 IDPs were registered in Ukraine, while 3.8 million people are considered to be in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. Access to goods and services is a challenge. While aid delivery continues, insecurity greatly constrains the abilities of organisations to provide assistance.

In Ukraine, we are faced with a forgotten war and an invisible humanitarian crisis” said Andrij Waskowycz, President of Caritas Ukraine. “This crisis has impoverished millions of Ukrainians and deprived them of their basic needs and fundamental rights. The most vulnerable – the elderly, disabled, and children – daily face the harsh realities of this war. The international community must help to end this war and re-focus on this unseen humanitarian crisis, which is the only prospect for providing hope to those affected by the war in Ukraine.”[1]

Protection and health

Protection and health are of particular concern in conflict areas, particularly as a large number of elderly people are affected, but also in western Ukraine where most IDPs are found. Many IDPs have serious chronic illnesses and need additional care and support. They prefer to stay in the new locations even if their financial possibilities are limited, because the situation in the non-governmental controlled areas is even worse and access to healthcare is very limited. However, there is a lack of primary healthcare services and a lack of psychosocial support throughout the country. There is a clear need to better manage chronic and non-communicable diseases.

Psychosocial needs are acute for those near the fighting, especially among children. Damage to civilian infrastructure such as houses, schools and hospitals, as well as severe restrictions on movement due to the conflict, has resulted in a lack of access to education, food and water, medicine and healthcare and adequate shelter with heating.

In total, 2.2 million people in eastern Ukraine are currently in need of essential and life-saving healthcare services. They lack quality health services, though their health worsens due to the conflict. In government controlled areas, IDPs have difficulty accessing the primary healthcare system and problems with the referral systems to tertiary healthcare facilities. Vaccination coverage is insufficient (outside of the 2016 polio campaign). There is urgent need for a comprehensive disease surveillance system. In non-government controlled areas, the supply line for vaccines, tuberculosis and HIV medicines, cancer treatment and other specialised drugs, including insulin and laboratory reagents, is unreliable and deficient. There is a need for surgical equipment and anesthetic drugs.

Caritas Ukraine has launched a protracted crisis appeal to address these problems in western Ukraine and Kyiv. Target areas are those with high shares of IDPs and limited or no coverage by humanitarian programs and include: Lviv, Stryj, Drohobych, Brody, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kolomyja, Novovolynsk, Khmelnytsky. The project will cover critical humanitarian assistance gaps, while addressing structural aspects of the crisis.

This project will aim at increasing access to healthcare services for the most vulnerable community members in a safe and dignified manner. The project team will also be actively advocating for the rights of the most vulnerable people, including IDPS, in particular to protect and promote their civil rights. All Caritas activities are oriented towards people in need regardless of gender, race, national origin, political views or religion.

[1] Oral statement submitted by Caritas Internationalis at the 34th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council. Agenda Item 10: Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s oral report on Ukraine. Geneva, 22 March 2017.