Campaign by Story
Update: REACT teams are back from Ukraine
Our REACT teams have now returned from Ukraine. Thanks to your generous support, and the support of our partners, we were able to train 151 people in lifesaving incident management and trauma first aid across Lviv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
One trainee in Odesa told us:
“I am a mother with two young daughters and I have seen the buildings around me on fire – I didn’t know what to do or how to help my children. Now I have this training I am confident I can help them.”
In Dnipro, a psychologist working in a resilience centre said:
“I have come across incidents before when I have been scared and not able to help because I didn’t know how and I froze. With this training, I will still be scared but I will feel confident to help because now I know what I’m doing.”
This is why the training matters. When a strike hits, the person standing closest may be the only chance someone has before evacuation to hospital.
What your support made possible
Across the deployment, REACT delivered 38.5 hours of training and left behind 540 items of medical equipment, including 161 tourniquets, 161 trauma dressings and 218 triangular bandages.
Those trained included local NGO workers, psychologists, social workers, teachers, children’s services teams, mine-awareness specialists, journalists, telecoms technicians, volunteers, drivers and community workers. Many are supporting others while living under daily threat themselves.
The teams trained people in how to identify and reduce risk, manage an incident, control catastrophic bleeding, keep a casualty alive until evacuation is possible, and use the trauma kit left with them.
The reality on the ground
During the deployment, our teams worked in cities facing daily missile, drone and shelling attacks. In Dnipro, a drone strike during the morning of training killed one person and injured nine. In Kherson, our team trained people working in the red zone, close to the contact line, where civilians and first responders are under constant threat from FPV drones and shelling.
Local partners in Kherson told us:
“We want to thank REACT for making the journey to Kherson; most people consider it too dangerous. It is so good to see you again and know that we are in your thoughts.”
Thank you
Your support helped put lifesaving skills and equipment directly into the hands of people who may be first on the scene when the next attack comes.
As one REACT Responder reflected:
“No one knows where or when the next attack may come, but what we can do is help prepare these incredible people with basic yet vital skills. Our greatest hope is that they never have to use them.”
Thank you for donating, sharing and standing with Ukraine.