People in Need has provided €14,4 million worth of aid to the victims of the war in Ukraine: we have delivered aid to Bucha, and water and food to the east of the country

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> Help within Ukraine

> We are preparing to distribute cash assistance to 18,900 people

> Help in the Czech Republic: We are helping Ukrainians in half of all Czech regions

> The Refugee Helpline handles 40 cases a day

> We are providing material and financial assistance to those in need

> We support a long-term housing plan

> Support for the education of Ukrainian children and the support and education of Czech teachers

> Countering Russian propaganda

> In Moldova, we are supporting non-profit organisations with aid worth €123,000

Help for Bucha, Irpin and Chernihiv

WE HAVE DELIVERED TRAINS AND TRUCKS FILLED WITH HUMANITARIAN AID TOTALING €10 291 287 TO UKRAINE.

With the support of local volunteers and the Most (Bridge) organisation, we have transported humanitarian aid from the Czech Republic to areas around Kyiv, especially those from where the Russian army has withdrawn, namely: Bucha, Irpin, and Chernihiv. This aid consisted largely of food, water, and hygiene supplies.

In the last week , we have dispatched thirteen trucks to the country's east. Two trucks with aid arrived in Kharkiv, two more in Zaporizhzhia, and the same number in Sumy; we have also delivered seven tonnes of food to the Luhansk region.

Due to the fighting, there are currently six million people in Ukraine without access to water. Thus, we continue to distribute water in the east. For example, we are resupplying the Mykolaiv region, where we have already sent six trucks filled with water containers. Three trucks delivered 5-litre barrels. In the last load, we distributed 20 litres of drinking water per person, covering the weekly need for 7,000 people .

The shelling of Ukrainian railways and the complications of coordinating rail transport inside Ukraine have hampered our train assistance. “Unfortunately, with the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian railway in recent days, security for our trains has become more difficult, and train check-in is taking longer. However, we plan to continue to deliver aid by rail in combination with truck transport,” says Zuzana Steppanová, Head of Logistics at People in Need.

We are preparing to distribute cash assistance to 18,900 people

PROVIDED AID IN UKRAINE WORTH A TOTAL OF €2,253 MILLION 

Next week, we will start distributing financial aid in the form of cash assistance to 18,900 selected people in western Ukraine. We want to support the most vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities.

Petr notes that this assistance is only possible in places where the market continues to work. Beneficiaries of the cash assistance scheme will receive the equivalent of about €70 a month, and this aid will also be combined with a housing allowance.

In addition to financial assistance, we are also equipping collective centres for IDPs in western Ukraine. "The quality of these centres varies greatly. Some are in good condition, but often they are schools or even wedding halls. These places need to be equipped so that people can live there temporarily," says Petr Drbohlav. Over the past week, we delivered bedding, mattresses, and other equipment to various collective centres. Last week we also started equipping the first collective centres in the Vinnytsia region.

We have been working in Ukraine since the first Russian invasion in 2014. Since the second Russian invasion of February this year, we have recruited a further 31 new colleagues and currently have 142 staff directly assisting people in Ukraine.

People in Need's work in Ukraine is funded by institutional donors such as the European Union through ECHO, the United States government through BHA, the Canadian government through GAC, UN agencies, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the King Baudouin Foundation, Stichting Vluchteling, and partner organisations from Alliance 2015, CARE and Oxfam.

In the Czech Republic, we are helping Ukrainians in half of all Czech regions

WE HAVE PROVIDED AID WORTH A TOTAL OF €1,68 MILLION TO ORGANISATIONS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

In the Czech Republic, new needs are developing due to the refugee influx from Ukraine. Our people continue to provide social assistance, counselling, and material and financial support. We also help with the education of Ukrainian children and Czech and Ukrainian educators, assistance with longer-term forms of housing, support for municipalities and the pursuit of systemic change.

We are analysing the placement of refugees across the Czech Republic. We seek to understand where there are places with large numbers of Ukrainian citizens to facilitate the creation of a network of new advisors for this target group.

In supporting our efforts to aid Ukrainians in the Czech Republic, we have thirty-two new colleagues. Those who speak Ukrainian make our assistance more efficient. "We have created educational support for the new team to get them oriented on topics such as temporary protection (as a form of asylum), housing, health care, etc. We are also preparing psychosocial support for them because encountering the stories of their compatriots' can be emotionally stressful for them," says Head of Social Services Katerina Dosoudilova. Whilst we have worked previously with a focus on groups, we are now starting to focus on individual social work and support.

The Refugee Helpline handles 40 cases a day

The PIN counselling centre also includes a Ukrainian Helpline, where Ukrainian-speaking counsellors are available at +420 770 600 800. Last week, the helpline extended its weekday opening hours to remain open until 10 pm.

"We get about forty inquiries a day. In addition to the new arrivals (refugees) who call us, with whom we often deal with housing, we are also contacted by people who have housed refugees temporarily. Now they are looking for what to do with them, and they don't find much in the offers," says Daniel Hůle, an expert on social inclusion. The phone counsellors are assisted by other workers who search for the information they need and make the necessary calls. Given the total number of hours worked by the people who process one request, these often resemble full consultations.

We are providing material and financial assistance to those in need

The need amongst displaced Ukrainians for material and financial assistance remains high. Our assistance goes directly to refugees who need to translate official documents or pay for travel. In case of emergency, we help with food aid. We have also financially supported local food banks. We continue to provide financial support to other aid organisations. We have already distributed €1,5 million. We have supported an adaptation centre for Ukrainian children, a centre for mothers with children, direct work with refugees and psychosocial assistance.

We support a long-term housing plan

Based on the results of the analysis of the current placement of refugees and the Ukrainian minority in the Czech Republic, we propose a meaningful relocation in a way that makes sense not only in terms of housing availability but also in terms of job opportunities and school capacity. We also consider the situations in the poorest localities to ensure that we do not increase the burden on them.

Support for the education of Ukrainian children and the support and education of Czech teachers

We are organising several adaptation groups, specifically in Bílina and Pilsen. In Ústí nad Labem and Přerov, we are participating in work in children's groups. We are also preparing a crash course in conversational Ukrainian for staff.

Across the Czech Republic, we are helping children and students with registration for kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools. In certain places, we also help Ukrainians find and join leisure groups.

In addition, we are collaborating with Mall TV to prepare videos for parents, teachers and the broader public on respectful communication with Ukrainian classmates and others, emphasising mutual respect.

Countering Russian propaganda

In the context of the massive propaganda and media manipulations surrounding the invasion of Ukraine, we have prepared two new and complex audio-visual lessons for schools. We are also continuing with our regular Studio JSNS, where pupils and students can ask questions live on-air to journalists, psychologists, and representatives of aid organisations about the war in Ukraine.

In Moldova, we are supporting non-profit organisations with aid worth €123,000

€ 190,000 IN TOTAL AID IN FOR MOLDOVA AND ROMANIA

In Moldova—a country with one of the lowest GDP’s in Europe—we work in thirteen regions across the country. We have financially supported seventeen non-profit organisations with aid totalling €120,000. For example, the non-profit organisation ROMNI not only helps Roma materially but also offers legal services. In addition to helping NGOs, we are also helping Moldovan households that have housed refugees. Each household will receive a one-off grant of €185.

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 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.