Ukraine Crisis – Depaul international continues its mission

Our efforts to provide essential services to meet the survival needs of the most vulnerable people in Odessa and Kharkiv continues amidst the uncertain political backdrop in Ukraine. Most of the unrest continues to be focussed in Donetsk and Luhansk on the Eastern border and Kharkiv and Odessa are more stable. However the situation is still unfolding, and every day brings developments. But the people who are homeless are still coming to our projects, for meals and help, and Depaul Ukraine aims to continue delivering its services into the future whatever happens.

Our mobile buses and outreach activities have been able to maintain a regular schedule and men, women and young people are attending – we see upwards of 300 people a day who come to get hot food, medical help and attention.The majority have multiple and complex needs and require urgent relief and shelter. Most have been unable to access help and support elsewhere as they do not have any identification documentation. Due to their physical condition, needs and appearance they are often turned away from other vital support services. Women are particularly vulnerable as there is very limited emergency overnight accommodation provision for females.
A large number of the individuals our teams see need urgent help to manage wounds sustained whilst living rough e.g. cuts and bruises from beatings, frost bite, burns from sleeping rough on hot piping and a range of deteriorating injuries and health conditions that have worsened in the absence of medical attention. Using the basic medical facilities on the mobile outreach bus and at our day centres, we are able to provide medical treatment to an average of 80 -100 individuals each day. A smaller number of individuals require more critical diagnostic care and support and we help to get them into hospital or rehabilitation agencies and continue to support them during their stay with food, medical bills and clean clothes.

More recently families with children, who have been escaping from Donestk and Luhansk have been coming to Depaul. They have travelled into the neighbouring Kharkiv region looking for a safer environment. At the end of June there were already more than 3,000 refugees who had registered wtih the Kharkiv Region Administration, but there are many more who are still unregistered. There is a severe shortage of places and accommodation available. Depaul Ukraine was able to find accommodation for up to 40 people through partnering with local organisations.

Depaul is often the first point of contact, due to our visible presence on the ground and a growing awareness of our work. Many clients visit Depaul’s projects because we offer more holistic and distinct support, compared with the very basic help available elsewhere.

There remains much uncertainty and with rising inflation, poor exchange rates and wider economic pressures facing the country as a whole we are concerned more people, young and old, will be forced into poverty and find themselves struggling to survive and make ends meet. We are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and recognise that events could change at any moment. It remains a difficult time for everyone; our clients whose lives are already in crisis and chaos, and our teams on the ground who are working hard to ensure our services continue for those in need.

(On 27^th September Depaul invites you to attend an Anniversary Mass at Westminster Cathedral in celebration of our 25^th Anniversary year and our work to support people who are homeless.  Read more here.)

With the number of clients supported expected to exceed our annual average of 4,000 individuals, the challenge to source funding and supplies is more urgent than ever and we are working hard to respond to the growing and immediate need that we are seeing on the ground.

A donation will help to make a positive difference to someone who is homeless in Ukraine today:

• £5 will pay for 10 hot meals a day. We provide over 70,000 meals at our projects each year to people who would otherwise struggle to eat, and go without.
• £25 a day will pay for vital medicines, drugs and first aid supplies to over 400 homeless people who visit our projects each day.
• £43.75 will enable a mother and child to live in safety for a week with the support they need to move on to a brighter future
• £73 will pay for medical treatment for 10 people at the Day Centre. Across all of our services in Ukraine, we provide free medical care to people who cannot access healthcare services due to their lack of ID documentation.
• £215 will pay for a qualified nurse for a month. Trained staff provide basic first aid and medical treatment to individuals who are often denied access to health services due to their physical appearance and challenging behaviours.
• £292 will pay for a social worker for one month at one of our projects in Ukraine. Depaul’s services could not be delivered without our dedicated team of skilled staff. It is often the time, kindness, expertise and personal interest shown by our staff that enables people to feel they can make a change in their life.

www.justgiving.com/depaulinternational will take you to our fundraising page on the Just Giving website.  Or if you would like to hold a fundraising event to raise money for Depaul International you can set up a page to allow your friends and family to sponsor you.