UMCOR awards new grants for displaced communities in Ukraine

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has supported relief and recovery projects in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Working with many different partners, UMCOR has accompanied people affected by the war through ongoing phases of humanitarian response.

At the recent Global Ministries Board of Directors meeting, members approved two major grants for continued war recovery in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict has had devastating effects on the population, causing widespread infrastructure damage and large-scale economic disruption.

A new grant of $1 million to International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)gives continued support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with disabilities living in conflicted areas, such as Zakarpattia, Rivne, Ternopil, Lviv, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk. It will provide food and other essentials, and job training, thereby fostering stability, self-reliance and improving prospects for long-term recovery. Economic empowerment is especially crucial for women IDPs, who care for children and parents and face additional barriers to employment. IOCC will also establish safe housing conditions in three shelters and two institutions.

Another UMCOR partner, One Collective, is building an apartment complex in Zakarpatska Oblast, projected to house 40 people. Apartments have private bathroom facilities and a common kitchen, living room, and laundromat facilities. Many residents cannot obtain safe and permanent homes until after the end of the war. In addition to building houses, the grant of $400,000 will help the project incorporate construction training for displaced individuals and others who have lost their primary source of income because of the war. Those who participate in the training will receive jobs to build the houses. This type of programming seeks to address the needs of livelihood as well as housing.

“It is becoming apparent that many from Eastern Ukraine will not be able to return home,” Katie Hills, director of UMCOR Disaster Response, said to UMCOR directors at their committee meeting in April. Therefore, two critical areas requiring aid are shelter and livelihood programs. Return to stable and reliable medical care, which includes trauma counseling and Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome (PTSD) counseling for civilians and military personnel, are also concerns that UMCOR is addressing.

The United Methodist Church in Ukraine – In 2023, UMCOR confirmed a significant grant to purchase property, providing reliable shelter for displaced families and a base for the UMC outreach ministries. Through local connections, the UMC in Ukraine purchased Pid Zamkom, Ukrainian for “Under the Castle,” a hotel, restaurant and event venue near Kam’yanytsya. The new shelter hosts 40 displaced people currently and provides space for United Methodist conferences, training and community outreach. The long-term vision for Pid Zamkom is to transform it into a rehabilitation center for war-related trauma survivors. Today, the residents are mostly women, children and the elderly, with many having stayed several years because of the war’s ongoing devastation.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) – An earlier grant to IOCC improved the living conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with special needs living in shelters throughout Western Ukraine, IOCC is supplying or installing home and kitchen appliances and providing humanitarian kits and non-food items to targeted communities. In addition, IOCC is procuring essential medical equipment to restore medical services in the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv.

Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation – UMCOR supports psychosocial care provided to Ukrainian veterans and active military personnel at the Vinnytsia Rehabilitation Facility. This grant also provides wheelchairs and other medical equipment and nutritional support.

Tutapona – There is increasing need to support mental health and emotional healing in women, men, girls, and boys affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tutapona adult and child-focused group therapy curricula supports people in need of intensive mental health support in Lviv. Facilitated by trained, in-house Tutapona staff, these programs aim to produce a measurable decrease in trauma symptoms and increase well-being.

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

International Disaster Response

United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response and Recovery (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside of the United States.

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