Emergency Preparedness & Response

Emergency Preparedness & Response

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Since 2014, People in Need has been one of the leading humanitarian organizations in eastern Ukraine. From the first days of the military conflict, PIN employees began to provide assistance to the affected population. PIN provides support in the following sectors:

Shelter and Non-Food Items (NFIs)

Qualified PIN employees continue to provide assistance in repairing damaged private houses, as well as social institutions (such as schools, FAPs, kindergartens, hospitals, places of residence for IDPs). Since the beginning of the conflict, PIN implemented winterization programs by providing solid fuel and warm clothing, as well as cash assistance. One of the most common types of assistance remains replacing damaged windows in private houses and apartments. All of these types of assistance have helped the most vulnerable to live in decent living conditions that have been disrupted by the fighting.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) 

One of the main sectors in which PIN is one of the key representative of the humanitarian community in Ukraine is WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene). Having started with distributing water directly to affected communities, PIN is now reconstructing water supply and sanitary systems to secure access to water for the most severely damaged towns along the contact line. Assistance is provided in the restoration of damaged sections of water pipelines, replacement of networks, pumping equipment, drilling and cleaning of wells. The provision of different types of hygiene kits, including for people with special needs, helped to meet the basic needs of the beneficiaries. Personal hygiene awareness activities helped to ensure that the risks of infection are reduced. All these actions helped people living in the conflict zone to gain access to drinking water and personal hygiene items.

Food Security

One of the most essential needs covered by PIN programs remains food security. In the situation compounded by the economic impact of the conflict, PIN has been actively involved in meeting these needs through interventions such as food packages, food vouchers and financial support. PIN provides significant support to the affected population, especially those living in the 0-5 km zone on both sides of the contact line.

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, PIN became one of the first organizations to develop the emergency response plan and did not interrupt assistance provision. PIN disseminates information on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and provides hygiene kits for risk groups and social institutions. In addition, a wide educational program was carried out, which informed the population about the ways of spreading the virus and about methods of preventing the spread.

PIN coordinates its activities with other humanitarian organizations and local authorities at different levels, and is an active member of the Clusters in Ukraine.

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Past Activities

Improving access to safe drinking water for the conflict-affected population through decentralized water supply systems in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts

Improving access to safe drinking water for the conflict-affected population through decentralized water supply systems in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts

In June 2020 together with UNICEF PIN started the project which aims to improving access to safe drinking water of conflict-affected population with decentralized water systems in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. In parallel to rehabilitation of outdated and war-damaged water supply infrastructure, PIN also focusing on developing local capacities to undertake maintenance and management of the rehabilitated water systems.
 
Emergency assistance to prevent and respond to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in eastern Ukraine

Emergency assistance to prevent and respond to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in eastern Ukraine

The project started in June 2020 aims to provide immediate relief while enabling to build sufficient stability for vulnerable populations’ enhanced resilience in the face of COVID-19. It is designed in line with international humanitarian standards on COVID-19 as well as the Ukraine COVID-19 Response Plan. Project focuses on Health, WASH and Protection sectors. Under the Health sector project plans are to carry large-scale risk communication to contribute to preventing the spread of the epidemic in eastern Ukraine. Under the WASH sector project plans are to offer targeted assistance to individuals to support handwashing and ensure coverage of basic WASH hygiene and dignity needs among the most vulnerable and exposed with a particularly focus on the elderly women and men, and women and men with disability and chronic illnesses that put them at greater risk, as well as on caregivers, mostly female, formal (social sectors) and informal, at the frontline of assistance to communities. Under the Protection sector, project offers large-scale psycho-social support through its hotline and online/sms materials for immediate response to the acute stress and risks already observable.
 
Provision of multisectorial assistance to the conflict affected population in eastern Ukraine

Provision of multisectorial assistance to the conflict affected population in eastern Ukraine

People in Need together with four other international organizations launched the ACCESS Consortium project to ensure coordinated multisectoral humanitarian assistance for conflict-affected populations in eastern Ukraine.Through sectoral and geographical synergies, the project responds to the emergency needs of populations residing in Donbas. Alongside water and food security assistance, shelter rehabilitations and winterization, the project provides health and psychosocial services, and advocates for people’s access to essential services.