Three Years of Comprehensive Solutions for People and Hromadas: East SOS Completes Project Supported by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe 

From July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, East SOS implemented the project “Integrated Humanitarian Response for Conflict-Affected Ukrainians and Third-Country Nationals in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Moldova”, with the support of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.

Over the course of three years, the Foundation’s team supported people throughout their journey from evacuation to rebuilding their lives in new places. Its specialists evacuated people from frontline areas, provided temporary shelter, helped restore identity documents, repaired homes damaged by russian attacks in Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts, and equipped collective sites and residential care facilities to improve living conditions for evacuated older people living alone and people with disabilities.

Through the project, the East SOS team:

• Evacuated 2,547 people from frontline areas.

The team continued to support people post-evacuation, helping them find temporary shelter, restore documents, access psychological and social support, and prepare for permanent resettlement.

These included the rescue of Viktor and Liudmyla, a couple from the village of Zelenyi Hai in Donetsk Oblast; the evacuation of families with children from Ivanivka, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast; and the rescue of 89-year-old Oleksandra from Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast.

• Renovated and equipped four residential care facilities in Stetseva, Medvyn, Probizhna and Kolyndiany, improving living conditions for 214 people.

In Stetseva, the Foundation opened a shelter for 30 older people evacuated from frontline areas. In Medvyn, the team installed a lift, replaced flooring, and provided the facility with furniture, household appliances and mobility aids for people with reduced mobility.

• Equipped 22 facilities, including temporary shelters and residential care facilities, serving 1,956 people.

The Foundation provided functional beds, furniture, household and medical equipment, generators and charging stations, helping create dignified living conditions for people unable to care for themselves on their own.

In particular, the Foundation’s team initiated the establishment of a residential care facility on the basis of the municipal non-profit enterprise “Kolyndiany Primary Health Care Center” and carried out the full cycle of renovation and equipping works in accordance with state standards.

• Implemented infrastructure projects benefiting tens of thousands of residents of frontline hromadas.

These included a solar power plant for a pumping station in Mykolaiv; an artesian well with a reverse-osmosis treatment system in Druzhkivka; and modular shelters in Yatskivka and Rubtsi in Donetsk Oblast.

• Helped 1,700 people restore homes damaged by russian attacks. 

Among those whose homes were repaired by the Foundation were 76-year-old Valentyna from Oleksandrivka, Donetsk Oblast; 72-year-old Mariia from Barvinkove, Kharkiv Oblast; and Raisa and Mykola, a couple from Sydorove, Donetsk Oblast.

• Provided more than 20,000 people with access to legal assistance.

The Foundation’s lawyers provided consultations on housing, property, social, pension and employment matters; helped people restore documents, obtain compensation for property damaged or destroyed, and prepare written appeals.

These included restoring a full set of documents for Yurii from Polohy Raion; providing consultations to people recently evacuated to a transit center in Voloske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast; and delivering legal services to war-affected people in Dnipro.

• Organised mine-safety training for 88 people.

The Foundation supported hromadas that continued providing essential services to residents despite daily russian attacks. The team repaired heating systems and district heating networks, upgraded boiler houses, set up wells and drinking-water distribution points, supported the operation of water-treatment facilities, installed alternative power sources, and restored healthcare and social infrastructure. 

“We thank Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and the German Federal Foreign Office for their trust and partnership. Thanks to this support, thousands of people received essential assistance, while hromadas gained the resources they needed to maintain access to heating, water, healthcare and social services. Together, we helped people stay safe, get through difficult winters and rebuild their lives despite the war,” said Rafael Karapetian, Project Manager at East SOS.

These activities were implemented as part of the project “Integrated Humanitarian Response for Conflict-Affected Ukrainians and Third-Country Nationals in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Moldova”, with the support of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and funding from the German Federal Foreign Office.

Earlier, East SOS launched a training program for staff of residential care facilities.