The city of Pokrovsk, located in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, has long been a focal point of conflict. Many residents had already fled, but as the fighting intensified and the “ring of fire” closed in on the city, the mandatory evacuation of those who remained became unavoidable. Among them was Kateryna, a mother…
Nestled in a deep valley of the Eastern Carpathians, the village of Tukhlya hosts a retreat for mothers of large families, far away from the thunders of war, sirens but most importantly, their duties and responsibilities. Here, time stands still and the daily stress seems to pause. Over several rotations, “Happy Family” – the NGO…
A long, dusty road leads through the steppes of Kherson Oblast, leading to Zahradivka, a small agricultural village. The settlement is home to 406 residents, a combined shop and post office, a primary school and one support point – run by Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) with financing from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF). Upon arrival,…
With 22% of the population being internally displaced and over 5000 of them living in community shelters, the city of Zaporizhzhia is in dire need of accommodation. Those that had to leave everything behind are not picky, but the need for improvements is felt in most of the temporary accommodations housing internally displaced people with…
Residents of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts were among the first to witness the horrors of war: destruction, deprivation, even partial or full occupation. Tens of thousands have fled their homes, but many of them have stay behind under daily shelling and in constant fear for their lives and livelihoods. Nevertheless, they are not forgotten….
Located in the safer western part of the country, Ivano-Frankivsk provides refuge for a flood of displaced people from the war-torn eastern regions of Ukraine. Driven from their homes by the brutality of war, 70 people found shelter in a former roadside inn that has now become their temporary home. In their struggle to start…
Enduring the tragic consequences of war for almost 9 years now, the people of the Donbas are struggling for their mental health, too. Supported by ACT Alliance and Hungarian Interchurch Aid, Caritas Kramatorsk has been at the forefront of this effort. By establishing spaces of creativity and youth development in Kramatorsk and the villages surrounding…
In the village of Vyshka in Zakarpattia, Western Ukraine, kids’ laughter echoes through the deep valley. The youthful cheers can be attributed to the displaced children between ages 6 to 16 who gathered at Hungarian Interchurch Aid’s autumn camp in the Carpathian Mountains. With ACT Alliance’s support, experiences of carefree childhood and mental healing are…
In the magnificent mountains surrounding Drohobych in Western Ukraine, there is a quiet but steadfast force at work: faith. Supported by ACT Alliance member Hungarian Interchurch Aid through its Flexible Smal Grants programme, Father Ihor and his Greek Catholic Caritas group have created a spiritual and mental refuge for the many displaced people arriving to…
Love never harms – this was the message of the workshop held on 30 August in Lumen Café Budapest by the Crisis Clinic of the Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees(UMTK) for refugee women living in our country. Here, psychologist Judit Hirsch spoke to thirty participants about the nature of trauma, while Balázs Rácsok, the director…