24 February 2024
Two years after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the commitment of the Luxembourg Red Cross in Ukraine continues unabated, while humanitarian needs remain immense.
Respect for International Humanitarian Law is crucial in conflict zones, but unfortunately it is all too often violated. Did you know that the Ottawa Convention prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines? Yet the war in Ukraine has turned the country into a vast minefield that will take years to neutralise.
To counter this threat and raise awareness among the population, the Ukrainian Red Cross, the Luxembourg Red Cross and the ICRC are supporting local initiatives such as Safe Childhood in the Dnipro region. Their mission? To teach children in the Sinelnykivka District the skills they need to react safely to situations involving threats to human life and health
In June 2023, the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson oblast in southern Ukraine was bombed. This caused the flooding of the surrounding areas, seriously affecting more than 3,000 homes. The Red Cross responded quickly to help the victims, organising rescue and evacuation operations for 2,782 people, including 309 children.
Restoring access to drinking water was a priority, and water purification services were provided throughout the Kherson region. Over 168,000 litres of drinking water were distributed throughout the affected area. Along the Dnipro river, the Red Cross organised awareness-raising campaigns on the poor quality of the water and set up osmosis filtration systems to create drinking water points for the local population.
Thousands of civilians are living close to the combat zones, exposed to difficult winter conditions. In response, the Luxembourg Red Cross has chosen to focus on renovating essential infrastructure, particularly health centres, in order to restore access to quality primary care.
This is the case, for example, in Liutyzh, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where the Red Cross has renovated a rehabilitation centre for people with disabilities, in partnership with the Ukrainian Red Cross and the Belgian Red Cross. The Red Cross also carries out “winterization” operations, repairing destroyed houses to enable their occupants to spend the winter in decent conditions. This programme has helped almost 2,000 households since February 2022, at an average cost of €1,000 per house.
Access to education is essential, even during armed conflict. Face-to-face schooling is important to enable children to maintain a social link, while learning for future challenges and the reconstruction of the country.
It is in this context that the Luxembourg Red Cross and the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs will be supporting 4 schools in the Kyiv region, with the delivery of generators that will enable the schools to deal with the frequent power cuts caused by strikes affecting the power supply infrastructure.