© UNHCR/ Maciej Moskwa
“All neighbouring towns and villages became a battlefield. We left everything behind, absolutely everything.”
Nastia, refugee from Ukraine
The conflict has forced 14 million people to flee to safety, while another 13 million are stranded in hard-hit areas.
When bombs fell near her home in Dnipro, Nastia escaped with her mother and two children.
They survived an arduous journey to the Polish border and are now staying in Wroclaw.
However, they are running low on cash and don’t know when they’ll be able to return home. Loud noises like ambulance sirens continue to scare Nastia’s five-year-old son.
Rozalia registered for UNHCR cash assistance in Poland after a three-day journey to reach the border.
Forced to shelter in bunkers or crowded accommodation centres, Ukrainians are desperate for the fighting to end. Many are cut off from essential supplies such as food, water and power, and need urgent assistance.
For those able to escape across the border into countries like Poland and Moldova, the emergency isn’t over. Refugees have been forced to leave everything behind. They need a safe place to stay, cash to buy basic items such as food and clothing, and access to counselling and legal aid.
The majority of refugees fleeing Ukraine are women and children. Many have special needs and require additional support. Together with UNICEF, UNHCR has established Blue Dot protection hubs across the region to support the most vulnerable, such as unaccompanied children, young mothers, and the elderly.
UNHCR is leading the humanitarian response in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. With your support, UNHCR is providing safe places for refugees to stay, delivering survival kits to people who’ve lost everything, distributing cash assistance to help people meet their basic needs, and protecting the most vulnerable, such as unaccompanied children.
Your gift can help us establish more reception and accommodation centres to provide safe, warm places for people fleeing the war.
Your gift can provide cash assistance to help refugees cover their basic needs, including shelter, food and medicine.
Your gift can help displaced people access social services and psychological support such as counselling.
Liubov, a World War II survivor, fled her home in Kyiv with a small bag containing key documents.
The majority of funds raised by Australia for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.