3 Dutch organizations – Dorcas, Cordaid and Save the Children – are working together under the Dutch Relief Alliance banner to provide immediate relief to the people of Ukraine through an Acute Joint Response. Together with local partners, the Dutch Relief Alliance is bringing essential, life-saving support to those affected by the violence and destruction across the country.

Heavy conflict in Ukraine threatens the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. The violence has destroyed homes, torn families apart and damaged essential services. Many lives have already been lost.

Hundreds of thousands are trapped in conflict areas, cut off from food, clean drinking water, electricity and health services. More than 2 million people have fled the country in the past days. The UN project that millions more will be displaced from their homes by escalating violence.

Acute Joint Response Ukraine

The Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) initiated an Acute Joint Response in Ukraine to provide immediate humanitarian relief to victims of the conflict and support communities that host displaced people. The Joint Response, led by Dorcas in cooperation with Cordaid and Save the Children, works with local partners in Ukraine to deliver urgent support such as food parcels, nonfood items for shelters, clean drinking water, hygiene kits to those affected, focusing in particular on the areas in and around Poltava, Ternopil, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Transcarpathia and Zaporishya. The Dutch Relief Alliance has set aside €2.5 million to support the people of Ukraine.

In the next 6 months, the DRA will improve shelters for displaced people by providing mattresses, blankets and cooking supplies. The DRA offers psychosocial support and mental healthcare to help victims deal with stress and trauma resulting from the conflict. Support to marginalized people, such as people with a disability, older persons, pregnant women, children and vulnerable families is central to the response.

Flexible, immediate response

The DRA is able to respond rapidly to the crisis in Ukraine due to the DRA partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provides direct funding for Joint Responses. Humanitarian support is delivered by DRA members together with local organizations in Ukraine.