AMDA Emergency Relief #40: Crisis in Ukraine (5 March 2024)

Activity overview as of March 2024

Ever since the humanitarian crisis struck Ukraine in late February 2022, people in Ukraine have been persevering through difficult circumstances both at home and abroad.

Starting in March 2022, immediately after the conflict began, AMDA launched emergency response activities in neighboring Hungary where many people had evacuated. The initial phase of the project lasted for 10 months until AMDA started handing over the work to its local counterparts

As of now, AMDA has been closely working with a total of four aid organizations in Hungary and Ukraine (two in each country) by way of assuring long-term humanitarian assistance. The project has been supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s Grant Assistance for NGO Projects, which has enabled AMDA to donate emergency supplies to those enduring the challenging circumstances.

Two years into the crisis, here are what AMDA and its partners have been doing to save the lives of those at the forefront.

1) St. Michael’s Center for Medical and Social Rehabilitation of Children (Ukraine)

Located in the western part of Ukraine, St. Michael’s is a general pediatric hospital that specializes in children’s medical rehabilitation. The hospital has been accommodating families with disabled children that evacuated from various parts of the country. Responding to the surging costs of medicine and other consumables, AMDA is striving to provide financial assistance to the hospital.

St. Michael’s has also been working hand-in-hand with nearby medical facilities, providing a helping hand whenever it is required. Recently, it supported an oncology department at one of the hospitals that had patients who could no longer afford the bills but were in need of continuous care. For providing financial support through St. Michael’s, AMDA received words of gratitude from one such patient who said, “It gave me hope to live on.”

Other than noted, the center donates foodstuffs and clothing items to local child-welfare facilities, while distributing bed linens and other necessities to evacuation centers.

2) Dynasty Medical Center (Ukraine)

Specializing in ENT, Dynasty Medical Center has been taking care of around 35 patients per month, many of whom require complex surgical operations.

Until the clinic collaborated with AMDA, only a handful of patients were able to receive such high-level care simply because anesthetics were too expensive. However, the hospital can now provide surgeries to more patients with AMDA’s financial assistance. The support has also allowed the clinic to use high-quality anesthetics with fewer side effects, thereby making the recovery of patients much easier and smoother. “We are grateful for having been able to maintain a high standard of treatment,” a center official stated.

3) “Varda Hagyomanyorzo, Kulturalis Egyesulet” (Hungary)

Active in the areas bordering with Ukraine, Hungarian aid organization “Varda Hagyomanyorzo, Kulturalis Egyesulet” (Varda) has provided aid to the western regions of Ukraine.

After the war broke out, many mothers and children have fled from the east to take refuge in the west of Ukraine. Varda has supported local evacuation centers by providing necessities ranging from food supplies to fuel.

One recent highlight of Varda’s activities is the provision of lunches to evacuees. The organization provided up to 720 meals in one day, garnering praise from the beneficiaries.

In addition, Varda continues to distribute food and hygiene goods to four schools, three hospitals, and three welfare facilities in its target activity locations. Each month, more than 1,000 people have been saved by the donation.

4) MedSpot (Hungary)

As one of the earliest collaborating partners in this project, MedSpot worked with AMDA from March to October 2022 at a help center for Ukrainian evacuees in Beregsurany, Hungary. Since November 2022, the organization has been actively offering mobile clinic services in the western part of Ukraine using an ambulance.

One of the foci of its activities is to provide mental health care to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological ailments. Given that the war-related stress has been increasingly taking its toll on Ukrainian evacuees, the organization’s medical specialists are doing their utmost to provide appropriate care to those who require it.

In a recent case, the team has been focusing on caring for teenagers who are prone to mental fatigue due to the lack of privacy in shelters. With a prolonged evacuation life in sight, the team is determined to offer mental health support in the living environment where securing privacy can often be an issue.