Abandoned amidst the Crossfire

Since its outbreak in 2014, the conflict in the East of Ukraine forced more than 1,4 million people out of their homes. Many others had no better alternative but to stay in their hometowns - facing daily dangers and distress of living in the war zone. This includes thousands of elderly - often left alone without their family support. All of them are living in starvation and agonizing poverty, and due to age and health cannot take care of themselves. On the daily basis humanitarians find and evacuate such people from conflict-affected and demarcation areas.

However, once rescued from the danger zone, majority cannot be admitted to state/municipal-funded hospices due to formal criteria. Under Ukrainian legislation, elderly citizens who have existing family members may not enter state-run care institutions - regardless of whether their family helps them in practice. Clearly, they cannot pay for their own expenses either.

Volunteer-Run Nursing homes

Over the years of ongoing conflict, local communities and humanitarians pulled together to create several family-style private nursing homes. All of them are run and funded through humanitarian missions and local volunteers. An official UNHCR partner, Humanitarian NGO "Proliska" - which this Project aims to support - helps 10 of such nursing homes and directly runs 2. Each nursing home hosts an average of 30 residents, and monthly maintenance of 1 elderly resident in terms of nutrition and hygiene has a cost of about 3000 UAH (approximately 93 GBP).

Why we need Your Help

Easy to imagine - these nursing homes are in drastic need of funding to address even the most basic needs of the residents. With this Project we are raising 5 thousand GBP to procure basic hygiene supply (diapers for the elderly), food and means for rehabilitation (i.e. walking sticks) for 100 elderly in 3 family-type nursing homes.

Your Donation is Doubled

This Project is a run by a group of volunteers from European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. As part of its Community Initiative Program , the Bank will match the amount raised through this Project (provided we reach our target!). Hence, your 10 GBP donations effectively turns into 20. The total amount we hope to raise from this project will close a financing gap necessary to ensure 1-month sustenance of the project target group. Some may say - this is not much!- but we believe that every drop of kindness adds up to an ocean.

Where will your Funds go

We will transfer the funds to an official UNHCR partner Humanitarian NGO "Proliska" which will execute procurement for the hospices.

NGO ""Proliska" is the largest humanitarian mission helping the civilian population affected by the conflict in the East of Ukraine. The mission is run by over 150 staff and volunteers who work daily in over 600 towns and villages in 20 km proximity to the 457-km long demarcation line in Donbas (on the Ukraine-controlled side). The NGO is an official implementing partner of UNCHR, UN OCHA UHF and is working with close collaboration with the Ukrainian Ministry of Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons. Previously (2016-2018) the organization served as implementing partner of UNICEF.

For more details see the National TV Report about the nursing homes (in Ukrainian):