This week marks one month since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war has caused the fastest and largest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. 10 million people have been forcibly displaced, mostly inside the country. More than 3 million people have crossed borders in search of safety. The loss of life and severe trauma caused by attacks on civilian infrastructure, on hospitals, schools and places of shelter are worse than one could have imagined. Some cities have been totally devastated by airstrikes and heavy artillery. 925 civilians are reported to have been killed, although the actual death toll is likely to be much higher. We join calls from the international humanitarian community for an immediate ceasefire to end this needless suffering.

World Jewish Relief has been there since day one of the invasion, continuing close relationships with our 29 local partners. We have been in daily contact with partners to understand and swiftly respond to their communities’ most urgent needs. We are proud to have assisted more than 18,000 of the most vulnerable Ukrainians in the country and in neighbouring Poland and Moldova, with food, fuel, water, shelter, hygiene items, psychological and legal support, companionship, and assistance organising evacuations to safety. We are equally proud of the incredible generosity of our community, who have donated generously in funds and offers to sponsor Ukrainians arriving in the UK.

Yet, there is so much more still to do. There is ever growing, immense unmet humanitarian need, and the situation is becoming more dire by the hour. People across the country need essential supplies and services, from food and drinking water to emergency medical care and shelter, while the vibrant economy has shrunk by a third.

Hundreds of thousands of people trapped in besieged cities like Mariupol, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and the capital, Kyiv, and in areas close to the frontlines, are exhausted and running out of the basics needed for human survival, coping with constant bombardment by living in basements without heating, cooking fuel or water. The especially vulnerable people World Jewish Relief has been assisting for almost 30 years – older people, women and children, and people with disabilities – are particularly affected. Many are unable to flee and are trapped in the most fragile and dangerous situations. World Jewish Relief urgently needs to raise a minimum of £10 million to assist the most vulnerable Ukrainians.

Please donate today and help us to help Ukrainians in their time of need: 

With your help we can continue and expand our humanitarian operations:

In Ukraine:

Our 29 local partners are continuing to operate with incredible bravery under the circumstances, assisting older and other vulnerable people in any way they can – with food, fuel and shelter, and companionship. In some cases, this support has had to move online. We are rapidly transferring funds to partners as they share with us their urgent needs, from families needing to evacuate cities under siege, to food and fuel shortages, or the need for mental health professionals to support those severely traumatised. Our existing trust and relationships with partners mean we can move swiftly to meet their needs.

Our team of logistics experts have established a major pipeline to get large shipments of humanitarian relief into Ukraine. Today, two trucks safely arrived in Lviv, with 27,300 daily ration packs and camping equipment requested by our partners. £200,000 of prescription medication, requested by individuals unable to access it in-country, is on its way to Lviv. Our partners will begin distributing these items across the country.

Some of our partners cannot access banks and have run out of funds. We are connecting partners to one another so they can pool resources locally and support one another.

In Moldova and Poland:

We sent our humanitarian and refugee experts to advise our partners in Moldova and Poland, as they adapted and scaled up overnight to assist large numbers of refugees fleeing across the border from Ukraine.

We are funding our partners’ work providing food, accommodation, psychological support and cash to arrivals, and safe spaces for women and children. We will fund legal aid and advice and help people prepare for their onward journeys.

In the UK:

As the largest provider of employment support to refugees in the UK, we are now scaling up our UK operations and expanding our employment and integration programmes to include refugees from Ukraine, as well as the many Afghans and Syrians who we already support.

We are working closely with the Government to assist the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and matching sponsors with Ukrainians looking to come to the UK.

Donate now.

An older person in Kyiv visited and given essential items and food by a partner.

The evacuation of vulnerable people out of Odesa.

Our partner in Vinnitsya prepares to host internally displaced people overnight as they flee to the west.