Ukraine Conflict Escalation Approaches Third Year: Cash-for-Shelter Programming Warms Spirits and Boosts Local Economies
As we near the third calendar year of the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, the American Red Cross continues to fund assistance to Ukrainians both in Ukraine and in neighboring countries. The New Year traditionally has been an important holiday in Ukraine and continues to be the highlight of the year for most.
The winter can be long and harsh in Central and Eastern Europe, and so the New Year is a time for families to come together, something that is impossible for many Ukrainian families right now. The global Red Cross network, of which the American Red Cross is part, continues to serve Ukrainians with food and non-food items, cash assistance, psychosocial support, and other forms of aid, including shelter, throughout the year.
Cash-For-Shelter Benefits Displaced Ukrainians and Boosts the Local Economy of Host Communities
In Slovakia, the American Red Cross has funded a cash-for-shelter program, which allows Ukrainians living in Slovakia to pay for living expenses. Cash-for-shelter programming helps people rent or to contribute financially to Slovak households hosting them. The American Red Cross and the wider Red Cross network support cash-for-shelter programming as the cash support helps boost the local economy and can play an integral role in social cohesion; that is, the positive integration between people who have fled Ukraine and their host communities in neighboring countries.
In Kosice, in eastern Slovakia, Yulia is able to pay for an apartment thanks to support from Slovak Red Cross and American Red Cross funding. Yulia shares the apartment with her young daughter and Yulia’s mother-in-law is also living nearby. The circumstances are heartbreaking, especially at this time of year, because Yulia’s husband was killed in the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Their pain is still palpable, but just as evident is their incredible resilience as they enter a new year. “I am very grateful for the help we have received from the Red Cross to have a place to live here in Slovakia, a safe place for my daughter,” Yulia said in her native Ukrainian.
Nearby, Zuzana Alenova, a young Slovak woman is hosting Ukrainian women in her elderly grandfather’s home. “My grandfather is in his 90s and recently moved in to live with my dad,” Zuzana said in her native Slovak. “We knew we could help by making the home available to Ukrainians who had come to Slovakia.” Zuzana and other hosts we spoke to said that because they trust the Red Cross and know the work the Red Cross does, they decided to rent out their homes to Ukrainian families seeking Red Cross assistance. Zuzana said there are people not willing to rent to Ukrainians in eastern Slovakia and that she cannot understand why as not only do Ukrainians need help, but Slovaks have also benefitted from Ukrainian arrivals.
Cash-For-Shelter Programming Is Integral For Social Cohesion
It's a feeling echoed by Julia Gulashova, an elderly Slovak widow, renting out rooms in her home to a handful of elderly Ukrainian women in Poprad, about an hour northwest of Kosice. “I am not alone anymore, we have become a family, sisters, we laugh, we even dance together,” Julia said in her native Slovak, as Verona Friedman, a Ukrainian living with Julia laughs. They told us they search for songs on YouTube to dance to and can communicate rather well as Slovak and Ukrainian are very similar, both being East Slavic languages. For Julia, hosting these Ukrainian women is not just an important source of income, but is also making a positive impact on her life. “We have to help each other, that’s the spirit of humanity.”
More than five million Ukrainians are displaced within Ukraine and like Yulia and Verona, some six million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
American Red Cross Funds Assist Ukrainians In Myriads Of Ways
The American Red Cross has donated more than $99 million to support the work of other Red Cross Movement partners such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Polish Red Cross, Romanian Red Cross, and Hungarian Red Cross who are assisting Ukrainians who have fled their country, as well as the Ukrainian Red Cross Society’s work in country. Partners, such as the German Red Cross and Danish Red Cross help American Red Cross reach some of the most vulnerable people throughout Ukraine.
The needs in Ukraine are great as the escalation of the conflict continues to impact millions of people. The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in June also impacted already hard-hit communities in southern Ukraine.
The American Red Cross has also provided $24.5 million in funds to external partners assisting Ukrainians, including International Medical Corps (IMC) in Ukraine. Thanks to American Red Cross support, IMC has been able to help the only blood bank in Kharkiv Oblast to continue operating. The blood bank is also now serving hard-hit Donetsk. Overall, American Red Cross-funded projects have reached more than 3 million people.
The international armed conflict, which escalated on February 24, 2022, is ongoing with no clear end in sight.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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