Ukraine Crisis Appeal – can you help today?

Saturday 5th March 2022

One of the most devastating things about the conflict in Ukraine is the impact it’s having on innocent civilians - the loss of life, the families torn apart, the livelihoods and homes destroyed.

Almost a million people have fled in recent days and many more have had to leave their homes to escape the fighting. Critical infrastructure such as health facilities, water supplies and schools have been damaged or destroyed. Huge numbers of refugees are arriving into Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and other neighbouring countries with only what they can carry. In many places there are long waits to cross borders and scant facilities waiting for them on the other side, with temperatures dropping below freezing overnight.

People are facing unimaginable suffering.

We must act now to minimise the devastation caused by this growing crisis.

It’s currently estimated that the Ukraine conflict could result in four million refugees. Since 2015, with the help of our supporters, we have been working to help hundreds of thousands of refugees arriving on European shores, fleeing violence, persecution and war – and we are getting ready to continue that work in light of this crisis. Whether you arrive by sea or walk across the border from your home country, the needs remain the same – safety, refuge, essentials like food and water.

Right now, we are assessing the urgent needs on the ground in neighbouring countries to Ukraine and are scaling up our campaigning work to help those forced to flee to find safe passage and refuge.

We campaign to tackle the discriminations, bureaucratic frustrations, the barriers and the burden of suffering that face people being displaced from their homes and countries –refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, the internally displaced – not only in Europe but all over the world, including in the Horn of Africa, in Bangladesh, in Yemen and Syria and beyond.

We will continue to call for diplomatic efforts to be redoubled to achieve an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine in order to avoid further suffering, displacement, and death. In our humanitarian work around the world, Oxfam witnesses first-hand how people who are forced to the margins of society are always among the worst affected in conflicts. Women are disproportionately affected by disasters. Typically shouldering most of the load as caregivers, they provide for children, elders, and the disabled in settings that may lack adequate food, water, shelter, and security.

As the international community scales up efforts to meet people’s most urgent needs in Europe, we cannot overlook ongoing humanitarian crises affecting millions of people elsewhere.

We need the help of our supporters now more than ever as we respond to this unfolding crisis in Europe while continuing to stand with those affected by conflict and disaster across the world. Right now, we are working to scale up our response in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan where a catastrophic drought is fuelling conflict and forcing countless families to flee.

Thank you for standing with us.