ADRA teams continue to serve the people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, in and out of its borders. On the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, ADRA Europe calls for an immediate end to the conflict.

ADRA has and will continue to respond to the needs of all people affected by the conflict. It will continue to support them through financial and material resources, with the involvement of professionals and volunteers in daily activities. ADRA’s teams currently provide humanitarian support in Ukraine and the neighboring countries.

Activities within and outside Ukraine include humanitarian aid transport, distribution of food and non-food items, evacuations, water supply, accommodations, basic shelter reconstruction, winterization with heat and energy supply, psychosocial support and mental health, protection for women and children, basic medical check-ups for the refugees and internally displaced people, legal advice, foreign language courses, art therapy, support for children’s education, and medical equipment for hospitals and refugee centers in Ukraine.

In the past year, ADRA transported more than 55,000 people to safety in Ukraine alone. It gave 16.5 million loaves of bread, 412,000 liters of water, and 2.3 million food kits to the Ukrainians. ADRA sheltered 66,000 people. More than €18 million were allocated for various interventions, reaching more than 7 million beneficiaries in Ukraine.

“As humanitarian workers, we see the daily suffering of children, women, men, elderly, or young people affected by the war. We see the destruction, the violence, the death,” said Thomas Petracek, ADRA Europe’s director of Programs & Emergency Response. “This trauma will continue as long as the war goes on. After one year of such an unprecedented tragedy in Europe in the 21st century, it is time to bring hope and peace back to the destroyed land on both sides. Therefore, in a battle, I appeal to all decision-makers to recall the purpose of life and to open the way from darkness to light. My cordial thanks and appreciation go to all who contribute to mitigating suffering and bringing hope to the depressed. ADRA will persist in serving and fulfilling its mission as stated in the ADRA motto: Justice. Compassion. Love.”

ADRA Europe expresses profound concern for the people affected by the armed conflict in Ukraine and calls for peace and protection of the millions of people impacted in Ukraine and abroad. It calls for a peaceful end to the conflict to prevent further suffering.

“Millions of people in Ukraine have seen their lives affected by the armed conflict that started one year ago. The suffering cannot stop if the war continues. The only way for lives to be preserved and for people to live with dignity is to achieve peace. We cannot continue this way, as more lives will be lost and future generations compromised,” said João Martins, ADRA Europe’s executive director.

At the same time, ADRA Europe calls upon the global community to ensure that core humanitarian principles are respected in Ukraine and the neighboring countries of Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and Moldova, which now host millions of refugees.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency is the humanitarian arm of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, serving in 118 countries. ADRA Europe is one of the continental chapters. ADRA’s work empowers communities and changes lives around the globe by providing sustainable community development and disaster relief. Its purpose is to serve humanity so all may live as God intended.

The original version of this story was posted by the Inter-European Division website.