Emergency Appeals

A devastating flood in Ukraine

We've renewed our emergency appeal for Ukraine after floods forced thousands of people to leave their homes after the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed.

The full impact of rising water along both sides of the frontline Dnipro river has yet to be seen but the UN fears it could be an environmental disaster.

The Ukrainian authorities say at least 37 towns and villages have been flooded and 16,000 people have left their homes since the dam exploded yesterday morning. Christian Aid and Blythswood Care’s local partner Heritage Ukraine got to work immediately by supplying food, water and shelter.

Over the coming days Heritage Ukraine, plus Christian Aid's other partners, Alliance for Public Health and World Jewish Relief, will be providing humanitarian supplies to people who've had to leave the affected areas of southern Ukraine. 

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Nova Kakhovka dam explosion in Ukraine
Nova Kakhovka dam flooding

The floods started while our partner was already delivering food in the Mykolaiv region as part of its continuing relief work right next to the Dnipro river.  "They filled up their van with as many people as they could take back to the safety of their hub in Odesa where they are being provided with food, shelter and support."

- Iryna Dobrohorska, Christian Aid's Ukraine Response Country Director.
Help us provide humanitarian relief

Through our local partners, we're able to respond to affected people's needs immediately to supply food, water and shelter.  

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On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine.

The invasion by Russian forces is destroying the homes and the freedom of Ukrainian people to lead their own lives. An estimated 15.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian assistance. This includes 7.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in private homes with host communities and in collective centres.

Millions of Ukrainians are living in damaged homes or in buildings which are inappropriate for their needs and which will not provide sufficient protection from the harsh Ukrainian winter ahead. Temperatures can plummet to as low as -20C in parts of the country.

Christian Aid is working with partners to provide hope and to ensure people survive and rebuild.  

Every prayer, every gift, every action brings hope to the people of Ukraine. By joining us, you can give hope to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. 

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Natalia, and her two children, are the first family to stay in a shelter supported by HIA in Lviv, western Ukraine Credit: Finn Church Aid/Antti Yrjonen
Picture of a woman holding a baby, with her son sitting next to her in a church shelter in Ukraine

Our response

Natalia, and her two children, Igor, 9, and baby girl Nastia, 2 months, are the first family to stay in a shelter supported by our partner Hungarian Interchurch Aid in Lviv, western Ukraine. Nastia is also the youngest internally displaced person there.

The shelter is in a church building and was established at the very beginning of the war. A priest runs it and says they shelter 150 refugees daily. Some refugees rest for a short time there and some stay longer. Women and children are prioritised so that they don’t need to sleep at overcrowded railway stations

Natalia and her children arrived to Lviv by bus. The family comes from the Kyiv region. Natalia’s husband is in the army.

'Our village was destroyed. There was bombing every day. I feared for my family. I’m afraid for my husband.'

Natalia says she wants peace for her children. She says she wants to stay in Lviv until the end of the war, because the bombings in her home village were incredibly stressful.

'When there was bombing at night, I did not know where to go. We feared that our building would be destroyed. In this shelter, I feel peaceful.'

A close up photo of Florence Muthiani's hands locked in prayer

Pray for Ukraine

Join us as we pray for the people of Ukraine.
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