More Than 10,000 Services Delivered in Seven Months: Interim Results of the EMPOWER Project Implemented by the EAST SOS Charity Foundation

Behind every older person successfully evacuated from frontline areas is a whole chain of subsequent decisions – from arranging transportation to ensuring proper care at their new place of residence.

As part of the EMPOWER project, the EAST SOS Charity Foundation provides follow-up support and assistance to older people and people with disabilities after evacuation, as well as supporting hromadas and facilities that accommodate evacuees.

From February to August 2026, the total number of services provided by EAST SOS specialists across the project seven areas of activity exceeded 10,000. The project is being implemented in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Poltava, Odesa, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts.

Below, we highlight what our team accomplished during this period and share the stories of people who received the assistance they needed.

The hotline operators processed 3,482 requests.

From the first phone call to feedback on the assistance received, the EAST SOS hotline supports people at different stages. The call center operators register requests for evacuation and social transportation, refer callers to relevant specialists or partner organizations upon request, and help resolve issues that arise later.

The evacuation teams provided 2,702 social transportation trips.

Getting from a transit center to a shelter or residential care facility is a challenge in itself, especially for people with disabilities. In such cases, the EAST SOS team uses specially equipped vehicles fitted with stretchers and stair-climbing devices. During the journey, evacuees are accompanied by trained specialists who look after them. Medical and social workers also join the transportation when necessary.

Among those who received transportation assistance were 79-year-old Liudmyla and her 59-year-old daughter Maryna from Sloviansk. After a stroke, Maryna was partially paralyzed, and five months later her mother, who was taking care of her daughter, suffered a stroke as well.

The EAST SOS evacuation team transported the women to the transit center in Lozova and subsequently to the Social Adaptation Center for People with Disabilities run by the NGO Ocean of Good in Dnipro. There, the mother and daughter received round-the-clock care and rehabilitation support while the Foundation’s team searched for a permanent place of residence for them.

Our team arranged 435 trips for evacuees to access social services.

While EAST SOS accommodation managers search for permanent places of residence for evacuees, preparations for their placement continue in temporary shelters. Social support specialists help people restore documents, apply for social benefits, access necessary medical care, and address other needs. At this stage, the team arranges transportation to hospitals, banks, administrative service centers, and other institutions, taking into account the needs of older people and people with mobility impairments.

Monitoring specialists provided 967 consultations.

Support for evacuees begins with their first meeting at a transit center. The team assesses people’s needs, helps plan their onward journey to relatives, a shelter, or a residential care facility, checks the availability of places, and coordinates transportation based on their health and mobility needs.

“When looking for accommodation, we primarily consider each person’s needs. If someone uses a wheelchair, we check whether the facility is accessible. If they require constant care, we establish whether the staff can provide it. We also take into account people’s health conditions and their wishes to remain together with their loved ones. We look for an appropriate solution in every case,” explains Anzhelika Hlamazdenko, a specialist at the EAST SOS Monitoring and Evaluation Department.

Specialists provided 2,070 psychological and social support consultations.

Following shelling, the loss of their homes, and exhausting evacuation journeys, people need psychological support. At transit centers and shelters, the EAST SOS team helps them cope with stress and anxiety and provides consultations on obtaining documents, government benefits, and available assistance programs.

This assistance was provided to 71-year-old. Mariia from the settlement of Pokrovske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Due to diabetes, symptoms of dementia, and an exhausting journey, she felt unwell and asked her daughter Olha to return home

“We spoke with Mariia for a long time, trying to help her feel safe and explain that her health was the most important thing at that moment. Eventually, she calmed down and acknowledged that what mattered most was that she and her daughter were alive,” said EAST SOS psychologist Olha Chukhno.

After evacuation, Mariia received round-the-clock care and psychological support at the Center for Social Adaptation of People with Disabilities run by the NGO Ocean of Good in Dnipro.

Lawyers provided 889 legal services.

Following evacuation, EAST SOS specialists help evacuees restore documents, obtain IDP certificates, transfer their pension payments, and submit applications for compensation for damaged or destroyed property, including to the International Register of Damage.

Among those who received legal assistance from the Foundation’s lawyers were Liudmyla, her brother Serhii, and their mother Hanna Herasymivna from the village of Svoboda in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. In February 2026, the family evacuated because of constant shelling. Some of their documents were left behind in their damaged house, while the rest were destroyed.

At the transit center, EAST SOS lawyer Liubov Vasylenko helped the women restore their passports and tax identification numbers, open bank accounts, and obtain a pension certificate for Hanna Herasymivna. She also helped resolve the issue of IDP benefit applications for Liudmyla, who did not have a registered place of residence.

The family now lives in a dormitory in Zaporizhzhia, where Liudmyla cares for her mother, who requires constant support.

78 staff members from six residential care facilities participated in inclusive care training and psychological support sessions provided by EAST SOS.

The training program was based on the practical experience of the Foundation’s team, developed since 2022 through evacuation, psychosocial support, and assistance to older people and people with disabilities. The program consisted of three modules and combined two areas: professional skills development and psychological support sessions.

“Facility staff interact every day with people who have experienced the loss of their homes, forced relocation, loneliness, or deteriorating health. These experiences can manifest in different ways, and it is important to understand that difficult emotions are often rooted in pain or severe stress. We wanted the training to provide not only professional knowledge but also tools for self-support,” said Yuliia Krat, Coordinator of the EAST SOS Psychological Support Program.

Seven months have passed, but the EAST SOS team continues to combine assistance for evacuees with preparations at facilities that accommodate them for permanent residence as part of the EMPOWER project. This approach makes it possible to address people’s needs at every stage, from their first request for assistance to ensuring proper care at their new place of residence.

The activities of the EAST SOS Charity Foundation are carried out as part of the EMPOWER project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) jointly with the European Union and implemented by GIZ Ukraine.

EAST SOS recently participated in the 4th All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils.