Action Against Hunger moves to help those displaced and in deprivation in Ukraine

There is catastrophic flooding in southern Ukraine since the Kakhovka Dam collapsed over a week ago.

The collapse is one of the biggest industrial and ecological disasters in Europe for decades, with the catastrophe destroying entire villages, flooding farmland and depriving tens of thousands of people of power and clean water as well as causing massive environmental damage.

It’s still impossible to say whether the dam collapsed because it was deliberately targeted or if the breach could have been caused by structural failure.

The dam and hydroelectric power plant are under Russian control and therefore inaccessible to independent investigators, leaving experts around the world trying to piece together what happened based on limited visual evidence.

Several Western officials have blamed Russia for the disaster, either directly accusing Moscow of targeting the dam or saying that Russia is responsible simply because it is the aggressor in the war on Ukraine.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the destruction as “another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” but added that the UN doesn’t have access to information to independently verify the cause.

This emergency comes at a time when life for so many Ukrainians – living in the middle of a devastating conflict – is already extremely challenging. The dam's destruction has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, and more families, children, and animals continue to lose their homes by the hour.

There is also fear that thousands of landmines could be scattered throughout the area, posing an additional danger to Ukrainians and rescue teams. Due to the damage of the water supply, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture warns that the fields in southern Ukraine could turn into deserts as early as next year.

This means water scarcity and crop failures.

With so many countries dependent on Ukraine's wheat, a further escalation of the global hunger crisis is possible. Action Against Hunger teams have been supporting families in Ukraine and surrounding countries since the beginning of this conflict. Right now, the charity are assessing needs in the affected areas and looking to expand their ongoing and arduous relief efforts.

In the Zaporizhia region, the charity are providing cash assistance and hot meals to people arriving from flood-impacted communities, which are being distributed in collaboration with the organisation’s local partner "World to Ukrainians."

Action Against Hunger also offer psychosocial support to people who have already endured so much due to the war. Families in Ukraine and many other regions of the world affected by crises and conflict are in need of urgent assistance, and the charity says it “will never give up trying to reach them”.

If you are able to make a lifesaving donation to help Action Against Hunger’s emergency response in Ukraine you can do so by clicking here.