People in Need Cash assistance is helping thousands of displaced people in eastern Ukraine
Published: Apr 11, 2022 Reading time: 2 minutesPeople in Need continues to deliver much needed aid to people affected by the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Apart from the distribution of water, food, and hygiene items to tens of thousands of people, PIN’s team has provided cash assistance to more than 3,300 people in Donetsk Oblast. Through our partner Posmishka, we have also provided cash assistance to people in Zaporizhzhia.
We are providing cash assistance to people displaced by the fighting, who lost their home, and who took only the most basic belongings with them. We are also providing this assistance to host communities suffering from ongoing hostilities.
Each person will receive 2200 UAH (75 USD) per month for 3 months. Petr Drbohlav, Regional Director for the Eastern Partnership and the Balkans describes how people are receiving the money: "We identify the most vulnerable people based on defined criteria and they are receiving the money in the bank based on tax identification number" .
Petr further explains that,"we are offering the cash assistance in areas where the market is still working and people are able to buy goods in the shops. This provides them with the possibility to buy what they need most at the moment."
Majority of people spend money for food, clothes or medicine
Based on data from our monitoring of the benefits of cash aid, we see that the largest proportion of people (37%) mentioned that they are spending the money on food, 22% of financial resources went on clothes and shoes, and the purchase of medicines was noted in 15% of cases. 13% percent was dedicated to hygiene items, 7% to pay for rent, and 3% was given to payment for the transportation costs connected to evacuation. People also spend part of the money on heating materials, petrol, or for paying taxes.
"It has become really easier for me to breathe and live. I was able to buy myself medicine, a board of clothes, and everything I needed now," says Dmytro* from Kostiantynivka.
PIN will continue to provide cash assistance in coming months not just in the east of the country, but also in the west where we plan to launch a cash for rent programme. In the coming days 18,900 people will benefit from our cash assistance. Additionally, in the near future at least 100,000 people will receive cash support.
People in Need’s assistance to people in Ukraine is possible thanks to donations from the public and private sector to PIN Ukraine Emergency Appeal, financial contributions from Alliance2015, CARE, Stichting Vluchteling, King Baudouin Foundation, Avast Endowment Fund – Stichting Avast, Oxfam, Porticus and partnership with international non-governmental organizations and institutional donors European Union, Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic or World Food Programme.
*name was changed for security reasons