Dear Supporter, Two weeks ago, Milana, 6, woke to the sound of heavy shelling outside her home in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. As the bombs fell, her father piled the family into the car and drove them to safety. Then he turned back around. He was going home to fight. Now, Milana is living with her mother and baby sister at a university dorm in Mukachevo, transformed into temporary accommodation for people displaced by the conflict. In their cramped room, Milana draws colourful pictures of castles and hearts. “For my dad,” she says. “We miss him.”
Supporter, the people of Ukraine and neighbouring countries have shown incredible strength and solidarity throughout this crisis. I can see this generosity of spirit in Australian donors too, who are doing what they can to help innocent people caught up in a humanitarian catastrophe. 2.8 million refugees have already fled Ukraine and more than 1.85 million more have been internally displaced. UNHCR teams are on the ground in Ukraine right now, scaling up our support to include thermal blankets, mattresses, key protection services such as legal, psychosocial and information support and other emergency relief such as emergency shelter kits and meals. However, we urgently need your support to meet the extraordinary need as numbers of families fleeing continue to grow.
In her family’s dorm room, Milana believes the war will be over soon. “We will go home in four days, and I will see both my grandmas and my granddad,” she says happily. Tragically, Milana’s dream hasn’t come true. If you can, please donate today to provide vulnerable families with safety and protection for as long as it’s needed. Yours sincerely,
