Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, about 12 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes because of intense fighting and threats to their lives. More than 5 million of them are abroad now, and the rest are trying to start a new life virtually from scratch. How do these people live? What are their needs and how can they be helped?

In the language of numbers

In early June, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky spoke about our fellow citizens who fled their homes after February 24 to escape Russian invaders. According to him, about 5 million Ukrainians went abroad in search of safety. At the same time, the vast majority of these people are women with children. The remaining 6.2 million residents of Donbas, Luhansk region, Kherson region, Mykolayiv region and Kharkiv region became internal displaced persons.

According to the International Organization for Migration, about 42% of migrants have underage children, 51% are elderly, and 36% suffer from chronic diseases.

What do internal displaced people need?

Today, Ukrainians fleeing the war can be found in every Ukrainian-controlled area. Internally displaced persons are most concentrated in the Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions. In each of these regions, the IOM conducted a survey of needs in the new place of residence. The results were as follows:

  • 58% of the respondents said they needed material support (money to pay for rent, food, etc.);
  • 27% of respondents noted that they need non-food items, in particular blankets. The same number of IDPs in the South of Ukraine have problems with access to medicines;
  • 4.5% are still in temporary shelters (basements, schools, kindergartens) and need to be provided with housing.

How do we help those in need?

You don't have to have a huge fortune to do charity work. Look through your belongings - perhaps there are some among them that you no longer wear. Every such closet item can be useful for forced migrants. You can also take part in the collection of food and personal hygiene items initiated by the largest supermarket chains in Ukraine. Finally, you can always donate blood at the local blood transfusion center. It should be remembered that some of the displaced have severe injuries caused by explosions and shelling.

Charitable Organization "Pryame vklyuchennya" helps all Ukrainians affected by Russian aggression, including the internally displaced. In these difficult times we should unite for a common victory, support and help those in need.