War, trauma, misery: billions in donations needed for UN aid to Ukraine
Published: Monday, Jan 15th 2024, 10:10
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The recent heavy Russian attacks and the onset of winter are exacerbating the misery of millions of Ukrainians.
14.6 million people - 40 percent of the population - are in need of humanitarian aid, the United Nations reported in Geneva on Monday. In addition, 6.3 million Ukrainians had fled the country. The UN emergency aid office OCHA and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) put the need for this year at 4.2 billion US dollars (around 3.8 billion euros).
"Ukrainians are refusing to give up despite the (Russian) onslaught," said OCHA chief Martin Griffiths. "Nobody wants to depend on foreign aid, but there is no other choice. The people need your help," he said, addressing the donor countries.
Last year, the organizations together budgeted 5.6 billion US dollars, of which around 60 percent was collected. Aid programmes are to be implemented with more than 850 partner organizations.
More than 3.3 million people were living near the front in the east and south of the country, some in houses without functioning water, gas and electricity lines, OCHA reported. Due to the ongoing bombardment, some families were staying in underground bunkers for days on end. Hundreds of thousands of children are frightened and traumatized, Griffiths said.
Almost four million people have fled the fighting and found refuge in other parts of the country. They need new household items, for example. People who came from destroyed houses to communal accommodation need clothes, toys and similar items. Others have returned to partially destroyed villages and need reconstruction help.
At the end of 2023, 5.9 million were in European countries. A good third of them, as well as some neighboring countries that have taken them in, also need help. These include Poland in the first place, followed by Moldova and Romania. Not all school-age children in the host countries are yet in state schools. A quarter of the sick or injured refugees do not yet have good medical care.
Most of the Ukrainians who had fled wanted to return, the UNHCR reported, citing surveys. However, in view of the desolate situation in their home country, only 14% planned to do so in the near future.
©Keystone/SDA
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