Attachments
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, Caritas organisations remain on the frontlines, helping millions of war-affected Ukrainians to cope with the crisis, rebuild their lives and work toward self-sufficiency, while calling for continued support to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe from escalating further.
In 2025, we continue to live in the midst of the largest war in Europe since World War II. This conflict has severely impacted Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, forcing millions of people to flee their homes and disrupting their lives. According to the Ukrainian government, approximately 3.6 million people are displaced internally, while the UN has identified that 12.7 million Ukrainians – nearly one third of the population – remain in need of assistance this year.
Caritas Ukraine and Caritas-Spes Ukraine, the two Caritas members in Ukraine, have supported more than 4 million people in need since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. They relentlessly continue to provide support, which includes urgent assistance with shelter, food, water and sanitation, along with legal, medical and psychosocial support. They are also working on early recovery and development initiatives to help people regain employment and become self-sufficient and rebuilding stronger inter-community support.
“Our goal is to help war-affected people emerge from crisis and to become economically and socially active again, to become independent from humanitarian aid as much as possible,” explains Tetiana Stawnychy, President of Caritas Ukraine, “People who have lost their homes, health, means for living and communities can recover. However, to begin early recovery in such colossal distress, they may require additional support with housing solutions, psychosocial care, employment, education and healthcare.”
A call for continued support
While the need for humanitarian response grows, international humanitarian funding is decreasing, raising urgent concerns about sustained support for the war-affected people, especially groups that are already living in vulnerable conditions, such as people with disabilities, elderly people and low-income families.
“While the war continues to devastate lives, Ukrainians are determined to rebuild, heal, and thrive,” emphasises Father Vyacheslav Grynevych, Executive Director of Caritas-Spes Ukraine. “But it is difficult for us to face this alone. We fear being left alone in the shadow of war, so we appeal to the international community to continue supporting Ukraine. Together we can work towards rebuilding and achieving peace in Ukraine.”
There is also a need to turn to flexible and long-term funding for organisations like Caritas, which are rooted in the local communities. After three years of the full-scale invasion, the capacity and expertise of local and national actors to take the lead on the humanitarian response is well developed. Donors should, therefore, better localise the humanitarian response in Ukraine and allow local responders to take a key role in decision-making and in programme design, implementation and monitoring.
Caritas remains committed to fostering hope and resilience for the millions of Ukrainians impacted by this ongoing crisis. However, sustained support from the entire international community is essential to build a better future for Ukraine and Europe as a whole.
Contacts
Tetiana Riabokin, External Relations Lead, Caritas Ukraine
+380 96 230 44 62 triabokin@caritas.ua
Mariana Matlo, Head of Communications Unit, Caritas-Spes Ukraine
+380 93 651 30 84 mmatlo@caritas-spes.org