Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine

Ukraine is experiencing one of the greatest refugee crises of our time. Fida supports the most vulnerable in the Zaporizhzhia region.

More than three million people within Ukraine are still waiting to return to their home regions. The most vulnerable have not been able to flee and continue to live near the frontlines in constant fear.

Everyday Help Near the Frontline

Fida, together with Edobro – the relief organisation of the Pentecostal Church of Ukraine – is providing critical aid in the city of Zaporizhzhia and surrounding villages.

Komyshuvakha, a village just 20 kilometres from the front line, lives in the shadow of war. Everyday life has collapsed: there is no steady income, no access to health care – each day is about survival. Winter is the hardest time, with freezing temperatures and dwindling food supplies.

A large-scale aid programme addresses the urgent needs of the region by distributing regular cash assistance. This is a form of help strongly preferred by Ukrainians, as it allows people to cover their most pressing needs – such as electricity, food, or rent.

Those eligible for support include individuals without income or other sources of assistance, such as people with disabilities, elderly living alone, and single parents.

Trauma Support for Children

The city of Zaporizhzhia is under constant threat of air strikes and is located so close to enemy forces that reaching a shelter in time can be difficult. As a result, many children attend school remotely – a situation that seriously affects their mental wellbeing.

– We have set up psychosocial support groups for children in frontline areas. These safe spaces give children the opportunity to express their feelings and engage in social interaction – something often missing in distance learning. This kind of support is vital for children’s wellbeing, says Sakari Koivula, Fida’s programme coordinator based in Kyiv.

In rural areas, families have also received survival kits, including medicines and power banks.

Previous Aid Operations: Evacuees in Transcarpathia

Fida assisted evacuees since the beginning of the war, together with Hungarian Baptist Aid and Transcarpathian Baptist Charity Foundation.

In 2023–2024 Fida provided food aid, cash assistance, daily necessities, and psychosocial support in Zakarpattia Oblast. The aid was aimed at 4500 internally displaced persons, for whom the support was vital and lifesaving.

The project initially provided food aid, later transitioning to cash support, so that people could buy their own food. Some have also been able to pay for heating in the cold winter utilising this support.

Psychosocial support has been provided for both adults and children. Art clubs have been set up for evacuee children, to provide an environment to be creative and talk about experiences. According to parents, summer camps have been moments of joy for children, a time away from the often-painful life of a refugee.

Operations in Berehove region ended at the end of 2024.

Help for Refugees in Neighbouring Countries

Fida has also supported aid work in Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, Romania, and Poland. Here, refugees have been provided with food, hygiene products, clothing, and medicine. Psychosocial support, trauma therapy, and summer camps have been offered to support children. Aid workers have been trained in providing psychosocial support