As Ukraine enters its fifth year of full-scale war, the crisis is evolving. People are living through grave hardship, especially with unprecedented Russian Federation strikes over recent months. Our teams have helped thousands of people survive this winter through distributing fuel, heaters, repairing homes damaged by shelling and providing accommodation. In the face of this daily struggle, remarkably we find the Ukrainian people are also looking to the future with hope. The whole of society is fighting for their communities, their families, their homeland – fighting for a vision of a positive future, a European future, a future that remains alive and that our work is supporting to build.
Local staff from Depaul Ukraine serve their own, often rural communities while working to help people get through this crisis, and delivering practical, long-term solutions for the future. Your support enables us to rebuild homes, provide trauma-informed mental health care, support families into stable accommodation and invest in trusted community services, including children’s centres and psychosocial programmes, so neighbourhoods can stabilise, and better understand the needs and care required.
Albina’s story shows how this support is changing lives. Forced to flee her home with her young daughter, Albina arrived in Bashtanka, a town in southern Ukraine close to the frontline, with nowhere permanent to live. With Depaul’s support, she secured stable housing, her daughter returned to school, and Albina began rebuilding her independence. Today, the family is living in their own home, a foundation for dignity, stability and belonging.
“Before coming to Depaul, Kateryna* hardly communicated with other children. Here, she finally had the chance to make friends and spend time with her peers. I can see how much happier she has become,” says Albina. “And when a child is happy, the mother is happy too.” Albina, Kateryna’s Mum
Yet the scale of need remains immense. Thousands of homes remain in a state of disrepair. Displaced families need support to resettle. Children affected by prolonged trauma need specialist care. This is why your help as a valued supporter matters so much. Your donation will help to provide homes, expand trauma support, and rebuild communities for families. By aligning your support with Depaul International’s long-term recovery work, you can also advance your own social impact priorities through meaningful, community-led change.
*Children’s names have been changed to protect identities