For people in Ukraine, the past three years have been filled with suffering, destruction, and loss. The hardest hit by the war are those who were already in vulnerable situations before, including single parents, large families, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

In January, the United States froze foreign aid for 90 days, significantly impacting the ability to deliver assistance in Ukraine. The Estonian Refugee Council (ERC) is one of the largest providers of cash-based humanitarian aid in frontline and hard-to-reach areas.

The ERC continues to provide cash assistance to people in critical-need regions across Ukraine. However, due to the suspension of U.S. funding, many humanitarian organizations, including the ERC, have been forced to scale back their operations. This has the most severe impact on those affected by the war, whose daily survival depends on humanitarian aid.

Among those impacted is Oleksandra, who lives in Zaporizhzhia, where she moved with her husband and two daughters from the village of Mala Tokmachka due to the war.

Before the full-scale war, around 3,000 people lived in Oleksandra's home village. Today, the front line is just 3 kilometers away, and occupied territories are less than 10 kilometers from it. In December 2024, the village was mandatorily evacuated.

"The war completely changed our lives," said Oleksandra. "When our village came under heavy bombardment, we decided to flee with our family. At the time, I was seven months pregnant. We left with only a single bag of belongings and our documents"

Oleksandra's income is very small, and rent and utility costs in Ukraine have continued to rise.

"Our financial situation is extremely difficult. We have to cut back on food, clothing, and even medicine," she says. "We used to work in agriculture, but we lost everything – our house was destroyed, and nothing remained of our farm"

Oleksandra and her family now live in Zaporizhzhia, where the situation remains dangerous.

"Due to air raids, we try to move around as little as possible and stay indoors. We have no one to rely on but ourselves."

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Tetyana's husband was severely injured in a bombing and is now unable to work. They have two children – a 5-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. The family currently lives in the village of Krasnotorka in the Donetsk region, on the outskirts of Kramatorsk, about 25 kilometers from the front line. This area is under constant attack from guided bombs, rockets, and drones

"The war has had a severe impact on our family," Tetyana explains. "Two years ago, my husband was seriously injured in a bombing when shrapnel struck his spine. He received the necessary treatment and initial rehabilitation, but it was not enough. His health has not improved over the past two years."

At the moment, Tetyana and her family have neither the means nor financial resources to continue with her husband's rehabilitation.

"We now live by the principle: if we have made it through the day, then that is good enough. It is noisy here due to constant attacks, and it is very frightening. However, moving elsewhere is difficult."

Schools and kindergartens in Krasnotorka are  closed, so their children are at home all the time.

"They cannot play outside because it is too dangerous – air raid alarms sound constantly, and there is always a risk of bombing," Tetyana says. "Our family's financial situation is also difficult. I cannot go to work because I have to care for my husband and two children. We dream of the day the war will end."

Donations collected by the Estonian Refugee Council will be distributed as cash-based support, allowing people to purchase food, medicine, hygiene products, and other necessities.

More information about the campaign is available here.

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