Aid for suffering people in Ukraine

In the name of the Holy Father, a first gift of funds will be released to help those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.  This gift amounts to approximately 6 million Euros of the approximately 12 million that has so far been collected.  These funds will help more than 2 million people regardless of their religious, faith or ethnic background, especially in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnepropetrovsk.

Following the extraordinary collection, called for by Pope Francis on 24 April 2016 in all churches throughout Europe in support of the people who are suffering because of conflict, the Holy See, through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, coordinated the creation of a technical Committee on site, presided over by His Excellency, Jan Sobiło, Auxiliary Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia.  The committee is operating in contact with the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, His Excellency, Claudio Gugerotti.

Since the beginning of this activity, in the month of July, the Committee which is headquartered in Zaporizhia, has selected and evaluated the aid projects presented by Christian charity organizations and international agencies.  The Committee currently funds 20 large scale projects (representing amounts up to 250,000 Euros per project) and 39 Solidarity projects (representing amounts up to 20,000 Euros per project).  The money will be distributed, in collaboration with the Apostolic Nunciature, and support for the work currently being done to provide food, housing, medical and hygienic assistance.

According to a recent report furnished by the Office of the High Commission of the United Nations for Human Rights (OHCHR), the conflict, which is still ongoing, left 9,758 people dead and 22,779 wounded between April 2014 and December 1, 2016.