As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, the LWF affirms its continued humanitarian response, and the global solidarity of its churches and other partners.
Josef Pfattner (left) and Paolo Ferraris (right), LWF Team Leader in Poland, during the LWF Assembly in Krakow. Photo: LWF/M. Renaux
Interview with LWF Ukraine Response Coordinator Josef Pfattner after two years of war in Ukraine
(LWI) - From supplying relief food and medicine to refugees across neighboring countries, to rehabilitating schools and setting up heating points in municipalities, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) humanitarian response in Ukraine has expanded to rehabilitating family apartments, thanks to the sustained support of LWF’s global partners.
Josef Pfattner, coordinator of LWF’s response to the war in Ukraine, looks back at two years response to the war in Ukraine and explains why this assistance is still critical.
“After two years of war, part of society in Europe is getting used to having a war in Europe. However, that should not obscure the fact that millions of families are dramatically affected by the consequences of the invasion. Immediate needs include food, shelter, medical help including addressing trauma caused by the war,” he says.
Looking back to the beginning of the Ukraine war, how has the situation changed in the past two years?
Like most, we were caught off guard by Russia’s invasion on 24 February 2022 . In the beginning everything was unpredictable. We didn't know whether Ukraine would be overrun within a few days or how many people would flee. In the first few weeks we experienced overwhelming solidarity: not only did many non-governmental organizations get involved, but also churches, private individuals and families.
Initially many people had hoped that the war would end soon. It has now lasted two years. While the willingness to help is still exemplary, tolerance toward refugees is decreasing in some places. For people from Ukraine who have been living abroad for two years now, this also means that they have to make decisions about their future.
In what way?
Every family is in a different situation. We see people planning their future and that of their children abroad, and we see people still hoping to return next month. Many people now realize that they have to think long term. The war has separated many families, men and fathers are not allowed to leave Ukraine. In practice, many women have been single parents for two years, taking responsibility for their families.
LWF country representative Mark Mullan talks to inhabitants of Saltivka, Kharkiv, whose apartments are being rehabilitated by LWF. Photo: LWF/ Anatoliy Nazarenko
What is the LWF doing in Ukraine?
Our work in Ukraine is still mostly an emergency response. After an initial phase in Chernihiv, our response is now focused in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and the region. Kharkiv is only 40 kilometers from the Russian border and its population experiences air raids several times a day. The attacks target the infrastructure, especially in winter, and people often go without heating or electricity for long periods.
A heating point in Kharkiv. Photo: LWF/ Anatolyi Nazarenko
Collaboration with the LWF member church, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine (GELCU) is important. We work closely with Bishop Pavlo Shvarts, who is of great help when it comes to local contacts and analyzing where help is needed the most. We also work with two local organizations that run heating points, where people keep warm, receive food and charge electronic devices.
Ukrainian children in a school in Gliwice, Poland. For many families, sending their children to a local school is the first step towards integration. Photo: LWF/ Albin Hillert
How has your work changed?
At the beginning, our work with refugees in Ukraine's neighboring countries was primarily an emergency response. People needed shelter, something to eat, basic relief goods, and medical care. Six months later, we started to offer specialized assistance, and our services now focus on integration. This includes psychosocial support, language courses and training opportunities, which are mostly provided through the LWF member churches in Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, and through the country program in Poland.
Another difference is that initially we only worked with refugees outside Ukraine through our member churches and the LWF program. But since summer 2023 we are also active in Ukraine itself.
After two years of war, part of society in Europe is getting used to having a war in Europe. However, that should not obscure the fact that millions of families are dramatically affected by the consequences of the invasion. Immediate needs include food, shelter, medical help including addressing the trauma caused by the war.
Are there also long-term projects in Ukraine?
Our biggest project in Ukraine, together with UNHCR (United Nations refugee agency), is the rehabilitation of apartments in Kharkiv. More han 10,000 apartments were severely damaged by missile strikes in the first weeks of the war or are completely burned out. Their residents are staying with relatives or living in collective accommodation. Many people had put all their savings into these apartments: they were older people, single mothers or people with disabilities who had neither the money nor the ability to make their apartments livable again. By the end of 2023, over 525 apartments had been renovated, allowing many families to move back into better living conditions
Our work therefore goes beyond simple renovation; we have a holistic approach around the needs of the respective families, and also integrated psychosocial care. Everyone needs something different: some need medical help, others have no income or are traumatized by the constant air raids.
What are your plans for 2024 and what are some of the challenges you face?
As the war goes on, it has become more challenging to get funding for our work in Ukraine. The security situation has also become more challenging in the past months.
In 2024, we will focus on income-generating initiatives. Before the war, there were many small shops and businesses in Kharkiv that have since been destroyed. We want to discuss with the local authorities how we can help some of the companies so that they can be productive again and employ people. People should be able to support themselves as much as possible.
What impresses me is the great trust that the people of Ukraine have placed in us right from the start. I feel a great responsibility, to not betray their trust.
Ukraine has received a lot of support, while other areas plagued by conflict seem to have been almost forgotten. What do you tell people who say the aid to Ukraine should be stopped?
The LWF works in 24 countries, and of course we too see the differences between the funds we receive for Ukraine and for example, the resources available to care for Sudanese refugees in Chad.
The support in Ukraine is justified. The people there suffer too. Of course one could argue, for example, that the money spent on a family in Ukraine could support a village in Chad. We should not compare, as every country and situation is different.
We shouldn't say: Let's send the money to Chad, but rather: Let's help in Chad with as much effort as in Ukraine. The resources are available, as the Ukraine emergency aid has clearly shown.
