Ukraine Appeal
17.6 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. Your support can provide vital shelter, food, clean water and protection to vulnerable families fleeing conflict.
Effects of the war in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
2 year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine
30,457 civilian casualties
including over 10,500 deaths
6.5 million people
have been displaced overseas
3.7 million people
have been displaced within Ukraine
17.6 million people
now need humanitarian assistance
Caritas staff at a winterisation project in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
Our partners are on the ground, providing vulnerable communities with:
Food & clean water
More than 2 million displaced people have received food and 380,000 have received clean water
Emergency shelters
Over 500,000 people have been able to access shelter
Medical support
More than 100,000 people accessed basic family medicines and 800,000 people received hygiene supplies
Psychosocial support
290,000 people accessed psychosocial support services, including vulnerable children
Tanya and her son, Nikita, are among the many refugees who have fled the war in Ukraine. Photo: Philipp Spalek/Caritas Germany
Civilian infrastructure in Ukraine continues to be targeted including water supplies, gas and electric supplies, hospitals, and homes
There has been extensive destruction of essential services, leaving millions without power, heating and water through the brutal winter cold, as the government tries to ration the existing resources and energy.
Currently, the most urgent needs are helping displaced people access safe shelter, emergency food, water, hygiene kits, medication and psychosocial support.
Caritas Ukraine, Caritas-Spes Ukraine and other Caritas agencies in neighbouring countries continue to provide urgent support to displaced people
The Caritas Ukraine network is supported by 448 parish hubs and more than 1200 employees covering most regions of Ukraine and providing services in urban and rural areas.
With your help, our partners have been able to assist 4.2 million people affected by the war through a joint emergency response.
With the support of our partners Catholic Relief Services, over 10,000 Ukrainian refugees are now living in safe, dignified transitional accommodation in neighbouring Moldova.
With the added support from our Ukraine Crisis Appeal, Caritas Australia are actively able to provide continued help to those facing conflict in Ukraine. Through your generous donations, Caritas Australia can offer various forms of assistance, such as emergency aid, medical supplies, food and shelter for those who have been affected by conflict in the region.
A child holds a teddy bear in the ruins of the war in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
Two years of war in Ukraine
Over a period of two years, we've provided over 5 million services in the Caritas way. Please watch our video update from Caritas Ukraine.
Stories from the ground in Ukraine
Illyena with her nine-month old baby. Photo: Philipp Spalek/Caritas Poland
Illyena's story
23-year-old Ilyena, her husband Andrei and their 9-month-old son Bagdan, decided to flee Kharkiv. After sheltering in a crowded metro station, they walked for hours through dark metro tunnels until they reached their car. It took them six days to drive to the Polish border. After they crossed, volunteers from Caritas Poland helped Illyena access a sheltered room for mothers and children, where she can access the necessities she needs to care for Bagdan. Andrej had to stay behind as most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 cannot leave the country.
Welfare of children
The welfare and safety of children is a priority for Caritas Australia, our partners in Ukraine, and all organisations in the Caritas network.
In Ukraine, there are several programs that focus on children, including children's shelters, child-friendly spaces, and psychosocial support.
Shelter for children in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
"The widespread impact of this war on civilians is also creating a legacy of mental and physical trauma that is particularly impactful on the development and wellbeing of children.
Our partners on the ground are also telling us that the war has compounded pre-existing inequalities and challenges faced by women and marginalised groups, as well as increasing the risk of gender-based violence.”
Emergency services responding to the fire created by the attack. Photo credit: Caritas-Spes Ukraine.
Attack on Caritas-Spes Ukraine warehouse left 300 tons of humanitarian supplies burned.
On the night of September 19, 2023, Russian troops hit an industrial enterprise in Lviv, where a Caritas-Spes Ukraine humanitarian aid warehouse was located. Caritas-Spes Ukraine employees were unharmed, but the warehouse with everything inside burned to the ground.
33 pallets of food packages, 10 pallets of hygiene kits and canned food, 10 pallets of generators and clothes were confirmed as destroyed.
Thanks to your generous support, the Caritas network is able to recover from disasters such as this, and continue to bring urgent aid to those who need it most.
Olga's Story
As part of our Ukraine response, we are supporting CRS Moldova to provide transitional accommodation to Ukrainians displaced by the conflict. The program also provides financial support to families like Olga's, who are housing Ukranian refugees in their homes.
"I was watching TV, and I started to cry, seeing what destruction there is in Ukraine...when [the refugees] got to my house, those kids, they started crying and got on their knees. And they say, "Mum, it is so good here."'
- Olga
Many families in Moldova, like Olga's, have welcomed Ukrainian refugees into their homes. Photo: Caritas Moldova.
Latest News
A destroyed church in a rural village in Ukraine that was used as target practice by Russian troops with cluster bombs. Photo credit: CAFOD.
Caritas Australia welcomes a $31m government investment into Ukraine aid
A child holds a teddy bear in the ruins of the war in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
Caritas partners in Ukraine detail a new wave of displacement
Caritas staff at a winterisation project in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
Humanitarian conditions in Ukraine remain grave two years into the conflict
The 24th of February 2024 marks the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To date 6.3 million people have been displaced overseas with a further 3.7 million displaced within Ukraine. There have been 29,731 civilian casualties including over 10,000 deaths, and 14.6 million people now need humanitarian assistance.
Where the funds go
78%
of funds are spent on implementing Local and International Programs, including important education and advocacy in Australia to amplify the voice of our partners.
15%
of funds are spent on Fundraising, so that we can maintain and expand the scope of our humanitarian and development partnerships and work across the globe.
7%
of funds are spent on infrastructure, systems and people that make the work we do possible.
Other Emergencies
Gaza War
Over 35,000 people have been killed, the majority of them women and children. All 2.2 million people in Gaza do not have enough food, with 1 million on the brink of starvation and famine.
Read More
Papua New Guinea Landslide
Remote communities in Papua New Guinea have been devastated by a catastrophic landslide. Hundreds are feared dead, with the United Nations estimating that at least 670 people may have lost their lives.
Read More
Refugees and Displaced People
Over 120 million people have been forced to flee their homes worldwide, a record number. Vulnerable families are in urgent need of shelter, food, clean drinking water, medical support and more.
Read More
Food distribution in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Wien/Elisabeth Sellmeier
Where does my donation go?
The funds you donate to this appeal go to Caritas Australia’s Emergency Response Fund and will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by this crisis. Should circumstances prevent us from delivering aid to this emergency, or if excess funds remain after the crisis, donations will be directed to other emergencies where Caritas has humanitarian operations.
