The conflict in Ukraine continues to force people from their homes to seek refuge in other parts of the country. It began in 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimea region; the unrest spread eastward, with waves of people fleeing fighting in the Lugansk and Donetsk areas. Recently the conflict escalated in eastern Ukraine and four million people now require immediate humanitarian assistance.
MCC is assisting displaced people and those still living in the conflict zone, through our partners in the Zaporizhzhia and Lugansk regions, as well the cities of Nikopol and Zhytomyr. This support includes assistance with rent and heating costs and psychological support to people affected by the conflict. Our shipments of supplies such as blankets, canned meat and hygiene items have almost doubled since the conflict began.
Lena Skachkova and her two sons left their home in Lugansk when bombing intensified. At their new home in Nikopol, Skachkova is thankful for MCC’s assistance in paying for utilities and medication. “We make porridge with the [MCC] canned meat,” she says. “And we have one of the [MCC] blankets over the window to keep out the cold.”