Cash assistance program helps Ukraine’s internally displaced prepare for winter
“I could not imagine that one day, I would have to leave my home”, said Lyudmyla, a mother of five, and added, “We have faced two wars already, the first time was in 2014 and the second on February 2022. I expected the same scenario.” One of her sons was captured in 2014 and the family decided to leave as soon as he was freed.
In nine months during the conflict that destroyed basic infrastructures like electricity and communications networks, over 6.9 million Ukrainian families fled from their homes and found refuge in other parts of the country they deemed safe and where they could get support from organizations like World Vision.
Displaced people usually bring a limited amount of personal things as they run away from danger. Winter is coming and Ukrainians will endure the most difficult months. To support their winterization needs, World Vision is implementing the cash assistance program with funding from Germany’s Relief Coalition Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH) so the people can prepare for winter.
The project covers the Chernivtsi Region with the support of World Vision’s partners the Arms of Mercy and We are Near, targeting 6,000 people and host communities through unconditional cash transfer. A private bank with nationwide coverage in the country will support the project to distribute the cash.
The people registered in the program have opened their bank accounts in the contracted bank where they can withdraw the assistance when ready.
I am very grateful to World Vision for their help. We needed this money. I was able to buy the essentials that my children needed for the winter. Shoes and warm jackets were bought for everyone.
Fifty-year-old Lyudmyla lived in Slovyansk, the eastern part of Ukraine before she fled to Chernivtsi with her four sons and a daughter. She wanted to forget all the difficulties they went through as they were too painful for her. They were able to witness the shelling and destruction of their place. It took three days for them to reach Chernivtsi.
They took important possessions like one musical instrument, a small bag for each family member’s things, and one suitcase, and traveled. She said, “We did not know where we were going. We found a small room in a house where we all lived together. The space was small but we were happy to be safe.”
They found World Vision in one of the volunteer centers in Chernivtsi. Lyudmyla started to collect all the required documents to qualify for the program and now she was able to receive cash assistance.
“I am very grateful to World Vision for their help. We needed this money. I was able to buy the essentials that my children needed for the winter. Shoes and warm jackets were bought for everyone”, she shared.
“We are currently looking for a refrigerator so we will use some of the World Vision money for that”, she added. Ludmyla said her family has not planned anything for the nearest future but just decided to stay in Chernivtsi the whole winter.
World Vision has reached out to over 409,000 refugees, internally displaced and host families in its four countries of operations which include Georgia, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine where 251,065 people were assisted.
By Oleksandra Shapkina, Communications and Public Engagement Officer