In April, the number of internally displaced people from the Sumy region increased due to increased shelling in the region

During April 2023, CrimeaSOS facilitators recorded and processed 3,710 appeals from internally displaced persons in 14 regions of Ukraine. The majority of IDPs need humanitarian assistance, but the number of requests for psychological counselling is increasing.

Due to increased shelling in the border communities of the Sumy region, the number of people who were forced to temporarily move to other regions of Ukraine (Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, and Ternopil) increased in April. At the same time, IDPs from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions continue to arrive in regions that are further away from the war zone.

Humanitarian aid remains the most urgent need of the IDPs. 75% of all appeals by IDPs in April relate to the need for food, personal hygiene products, household chemicals, household goods, clothing, baby food, etc.

According to the observations of CrimeaSOS facilitators, increasing number of IDPs who have been or are in places of shelling are seeking psychological help. 

You may sign up for a consultation with a CrimeaSOS psychologist in Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp messengers by number +38 050 867 84 28. The specialist works from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The need for medicines and medical services remains acute for internally displaced persons. This is especially true of vulnerable population groups. The cost and availability of medicine and medical services are still a problem for people who have fled their homes due to russia’s war against Ukraine. Almost every third request from IDPs in April this year was about financial assistance and government payments.

CrimeaSOS facilitators communicate individually with forced migrants and cover the main problems in the fields of legal and social protection, work with children, etc. Data are sent to UNHCR project partners for their analysis, processing and further assistance to IDPs.

CrimeaSOS facilitators currently work in 14 regions of Ukraine: Vinnytsia, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Ternopil, Lviv, Rivne, Chernihiv, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Volyn, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk.

The work of facilitators in the regions is one of the activities of CrimeaSOS within the project “Strengthening IDP communities in the central and western regions of Ukraine”. The project is implemented with the financial support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).