War in Ukraine

Americares emergency response team is coordinating shipments of medicine and supplies to support local organizations assisting those affected by war. Since the start of the invasion, Americares has shipped 550 tons of medicine and relief supplies valued at more than $122 million to partners and first responders in Ukraine and other countries in the region, more than 200 shipments so far, including enough medicine to fill more than 6 million prescriptions. Through our partners, Americares medicine and medical supplies have reached more than 500 health facilities and local organizations in Ukraine.

In medicine, a quick diagnosis can save a life.

Ultrasound imaging is a critical diagnostic tool for doctors and first responders, especially in Ukraine, where deadly bombs cause injuries far too often.  In one instance, through the Institute of Emergency Medicine in Poland, Americares provided handheld Butterfly iQ ultrasound probes to 15 hospitals in Ukraine, including the regional hospital where pediatric anesthesiologist Aleksji Obolonskij works, saving the lives of young trauma patients.

In war, many people, including children, learn skills to save lives.

In late 2022, Americares provided the Poland-based Institute of Emergency Medicine with more than 10,000 tourniquets, used to stop the flow of blood to a limb or extremity in an emergency. Because the tourniquets were intended for civilians, Americares also provided two-day courses in emergency medicine, taught by certified trainers. The goal was to train 100 instructors who could, in turn, train and supply 10,000 civilians with tourniquets. By the end of December, IEM had trained more than 140 instructors in Lviv, Odesa and Uzghorod. Two of those are Natalia and her 13-year-old daughter, Olena*.

While major shipments supplied health facilities and programs, the Americares Medical Outreach program has supported 32 trips by volunteer medical teams to Poland, Romania and Ukraine with more than $4.7 million worth of donated medicines and medical products.

On two of those trips, Dr. Eric Morgan and a team from Sojourners United brought Americares medicine and medical supplies to a remote village in eastern Ukraine that had been heavily bombed.   

During his last trip, Dr. Morgan wrote:

Typically, more than 90 percent of residents leave these villages, which often have no power, no cell phones and no operating stores. The elderly and chronically ill are often the only people remaining in these villages. During our first visit in July, we were struck by how these villagers in great need would often turn down our offers of medicine for diabetes, high blood pressure and non-narcotic pain medicines, knowing that we were going to other villages that day where there would be more people in great need.

Now, on our return trip months later, we noticed people didn’t decline our donations and were grateful when we extended an extra month’s worth of medicines to them. “I remember you!” The door to our van had just opened after we arrived in the village when we heard a woman’s voice.  People were starting to gather in the road for the medical clinic and food distribution. “I never forget a face,” she said, smiling.  “You were here before!” We had been here, just nine months before. This village was located one mile from the front line. When we approached in July, we saw five plumes of smoke in the air, followed by a stream of people in cars, bikes and on foot. The site of our distribution and clinic had been attacked by Russian rockets five minutes before our arrival. No one was injured, and we relocated to an alternate location to give out needed meds and food items.

Now, months later, as we returned, there were no rockets to disrupt our efforts, but evidence of strikes remained: broken windows in almost every home, many roofs and parts of houses destroyed. There were constant sounds of artillery fire: Imagine yourself in an intense, never-ending thunderstorm with many lightning strikes one or two miles away, but occasionally so close that you jump. And, while there were occasional strikes nearby, there were no whistles indicating an inbound rocket very close. Before February 2022, these villages had their own pharmacies and clinics, which closed after the bombs began to fall in. As a result, for this particular village, the closest pharmacy was now over an hour away – if you had the fortune to have access to a car that could drive that distance. Almost everyone we met did not. It was a blessing to have received generous donations from an organization like Americares so that we could bring medicines that were so needed for people in great need. And they were grateful for these small acts to help them.

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To support the mental health of people affected by the war, Americares has provided program support to 27 partner organizations, 17 of which are in Ukraine. Of the 147 total grants, 64 grants totaling more than $2.5 million support mental health. These projects have benefited more than 50,000 people affected by the crisis.

These include:

Family Circle expanded the capacity of its community-based mental health centers in Kyiv and Lviv to provide 1,755 mental health consultations to 620 children and family members, resulting in an estimated 82 percent reduction in mental health symptoms and improved overall wellbeing.

Zdorovi, which aims to strengthen resilience and prevent burnout by equipping medical personnel with coping strategies and stress-management skills, ensuring continuity of essential medical services. Through the project, 900 medical professionals from 12 hospitals across four regions of Ukraine will receive direct support.

Smart Osvita developed and implemented training for educators and school psychologists to improve their well-being and their ability to support children and adolescents during situations of conflict. The project has already indirectly supported an estimate 22,500 students across Ukraine.

Razom is providing staff-focused psychoeducational and self-help trainings for frontline workers including educators, health care staff and social workers, at five Razom centers across Ukraine, with a goal of reaching 3,000 professionals.

The Americares team continues to develop educational resources in Ukrainian and has delivered capacity-building training for health care and frontline workers on psychological first aid and other topics relevant to mental health. Americares also provides psychosocial support activities to partner staff, including sessions on preventing burnout, coping with stress, building resiliency and strengthening community-based support.

With Americares assistance, our partners have also trained frontline clinicians in therapy techniques that address the unique trauma of war for both children and adults.

Yaryna fled to safety and quickly turned to helping others.

When 20-year-old Yaryna fled Ukraine in February 2022, driving her sister and family friends to Poland over three days in frigid temperatures, she had one goal: To bring everyone safely across the border. She did not know that her intense focus on that goal would be the first step to a debilitating burnout that threatened her own health and safety. 

Americares has experience providing mental health and psychosocial support to refugees and others affected by war and instability. We know from our work in Jordan with Syrian refugees and in Colombia with Venezuelan migrants that mental health support is so critical for this population, whose lives have changed drastically. We know that mental health is fundamental to response and recovery.