How Swiss Re Foundation partners are providing relief in Ukraine
It's been six months since the war in Ukraine began. With no end to hostilities in sight, the Swiss Re Foundation's network of partners has been working tirelessly to provide on-the-ground institutional, financial and emotional support to those affected. Swiss Re and its employees have contributed money and time to these efforts to bring much-needed relief and risk mitigation to those affected in the Ukraine crisis. Below is an overview of our partners’ activities in the region.
ICRC: Delivering emergency aid no matter what
Over the last six months, the ICRC and its partners in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have provided millions of people with essential humanitarian aid, healthcare including mental health and psychosocial support, cash and voucher assistance, water and sanitation services. Overview of ICRC activities supported by the Swiss Re Foundation to date:
- Essential supplies such as food and hygiene items for 576 000 people
- Access to safe drinking water for 8 million people
- Help to improve living conditions for 50 000 internally displaced people
- Emergency cash assistance for 329 000 people
- Safe passage operations allowing more than 10 300 people to voluntarily evacuate from live conflict zones
- Medical equipment, tools and medicines for 125 healthcare facilities
- Provided medical support to over 700 000 people including medical equipment, drugs, treatment
- Access to materials and tools for 13 000 people to repair war-damaged homes
- Mental health support provided to around 600 adults and children in collaboration with the Ukrainian Red Cross Society via a 24/7 psychosocial-support hotline and other services
Save the Children: Mitigating risk for children and families
More than six months after the crisis escalated, the situation in Ukraine remains dire for children and their families. In parts of the country, persistent air strikes and explosions are destroying buildings, killing and injuring children, and making it harder to access essential healthcare and education."
With the Foundation’s support, Save the Children has provided over 460 000 people from Ukraine and neighbouring countries with life-saving essentials, protection and assistance such as:
- Food, fuel and cash assistance
- Blankets, hygiene items and baby kits
- Mental health support for terrified children and their families
- Baby arrival kits for pregnant women and baby-feeding support for mothers
- Child-friendly spaces where children can play and recover from traumatic experiences in the war
- Safe passages to get food and other essential supplies to the most affected areas in Ukraine
- Child protection services to ensure that children and families remain together and that separated children are safely reunited with their caregivers
- Information about housing, healthcare, childcare, education, legal support and other refugee rights
Mareena: Rehabilitation support to incoming refugees in Slovakia
In response to the large number of people fleeing the Ukraine war and settling in Slovakia, Mareena has intensified its services and support for all incoming refugees. Among its Foundation-supported activities:
- 73 volunteers provided individual and community assistance to 340+ Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia
- As knowing the language of the host country is key for migrants’ integration, the team has so far held 14 Slovak language workshops with 432 Ukrainian participants in Bratislava and in Nitra.
- Since reliable information is key to refugees’ orientation and decision-making in their new environment, Mareena is organising refugee information seminars in Bratislava, where most refugees of the Ukraine war are living.
In addition to the destruction and suffering it has visited directly on Ukraine and its neighbours, the conflict in Ukraine is having ripple effects, from food shortages to environmental degradation, far beyond the region that will be felt for years to come. At the Swiss Re Foundation, we see the activities above as just the beginning of a long-term commitment to working with our partners to mitigate these threats to health and food crisis across the globe.
