Aid and shelter for internally displaced people in Ukraine

An SRC delegation permanently reinforces the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross in western Ukraine. SRC specialists are turning buildings not originally intended as housing into temporary homes. More and more families have to seek refuge away from home because even residential areas are being destroyed by shelling. They can only take what they can carry or fit into their cars. The hundreds of thousands of people who have found refuge in the areas of Ukraine that are still safe therefore need shelter and basic necessities. Your donation will help ensure that the displaced people who are unable to stay with relatives can be housed in shelters that are furnished, heated and have running water. The Red Cross provides functioning kitchen appliances and other household equipment and distributes vouchers to particularly vulnerable people: senior citizens, single parents and families with several children.

The SRC plans its support in the long term

After all these months, the refugees’ suffering is immense. Living indefinitely in temporary accommodation is demoralizing and many fear for the lives of loved ones. Countless families have been torn apart. Your donation will also help the Red Cross provide psychosocial counselling for trauma victims. The SRC is also providing support for the URC home care service that assists vulnerable elderly people who have no relatives to help them.

The situation in Ukraine can change at any time. We are using the donations gradually because the Red Cross expects that the civilian population in Ukraine will be reliant on humanitarian aid for quite some time. We are currently planning our work there until at least 2025.

For refugees in Switzerland

In Switzerland, the SRC headquarters and the cantonal associations are helping to provide initial assistance to help families from Ukraine integrate. The SRC has also set up an information website in Ukrainian and Russian where the refugees can find all the information they need on arrival in Switzerland. This takes some of the burden off official entities.

Why your financial donation is the best way to help

Financial donations can be used to rapidly provide what those in need require most urgently. Including when needs change. Some essential goods can be purchased more quickly on the ground. This also supports the local economy of a country.

The SRC therefore does not accept donations in kind, including food donations. Logistical efforts delay rapid distribution of these aid materials. Material donations have to be transported, declared, sorted and washed. It is also frequently not possible to make good use of donations in kind.