Support in times of war

The war in Ukraine has significantly influenced the work of many of our partner organizations. Soon after the invasion, we asked our partners how the war impacted them. Part of our budget is reserved to respond to such exceptional circumstances. In this piece, we highlight seven organizations that we supported in 2022: what are their activities in Ukraine, the neighboring countries and the Netherlands?

Basic needs, medication and training

Doctors without Borders is active in Ukraine and its neighboring countries. The organization evacuates seriously injured and sick people by train to safer places, and supplies hospitals with medication. There is also a great need for care in the areas liberated by the Ukrainian army. Here, Doctors without Borders’ mobile medical clinics help the elderly, people with disabilities, pregnant women and people with mental health problems. The organization also provides trainings in one of the largest hospitals in Kyiv, where only 200 employees remain of the 2,000 who used to work there. “This hospital has no experienced trauma surgeons who can treat bullet and grenade injuries”, says emergency support coordinator Anja Wolz. “Our surgical team has provided training and consultation to staff in order to prepare the hospital for a potential increase in casualties.”

Stoves to Ukraine

Many Ukrainians currently have no power or heating because Russian air strikes target power plants across the country. Meanwhile, temperatures can drop to -20 degrees Celsius during the winter. The organization Kachels voor Oekraïne (Heaters for Ukraine) has delivered around 10,000 gas heaters, 9,000 gas cylinders and 300 diesel stoves to people in need. Additionally, eight hospitals run on the generators provided by the organization, allowing life-saving operations to continue. Initiator Sander de Kramer: “We drove past checkpoints where everyone was stopped, but we were allowed to continue. The Russians were only a few hundred meters away. These stoves have reached the people who needed our help the most.”

Hubs for exiled journalists

We started a new partnership with Free Press Unlimited (FPU). This organization provides emergency support to journalists in Ukraine, and has also opened so-called ‘media hubs’ in Poland for journalists who fled Ukraine. These hubs provide journalists equipment and a safe space to continue their work. The journalists also receive practical help, such as finding accommodation or childcare. A group of exiled Ukrainian journalists received training and support to establish an independent editorial board in Poland. Journalist Nataliya Ryab: “We work with media operating in Ukraine. We suggest topics for stories we can create here in Poland, such as stories about refugees. We also support them in creating their stories when they don’t have the time, energy or resources to do so.” In late 2022, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv experienced regular power outages. In response, FPU installed electricity generators in the city, so-called ‘energy hubs,’ so journalists can continue their work.

Protection of journalists Reporters

Without Borders (RSF) and the local Institute for Mass Information have set up a Press Freedom Center in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine. Journalists receive financial and psychological support, training, and bulletproof vests and helmets. The Center also provides a secure internet connection and shelter, so journalists can always continue their work. In May, RSF opened a second center in Kyiv. “By opening this new center, RSF is on the front line in protecting Ukrainian and international journalists”, said Alexander Query, spokesperson for the Center, “It is a new chapter in our mission to protect and defend press freedom in Ukraine.”

Documentation of war crimes

Human Rights Watch (HRW) documents war crimes, such as attacks on civilians. This documentation is necessary for cases to be brought before the International Criminal Court and other mechanisms to seek accountability. “Russian troops have turned the occupied territories of southern Ukraine into an abyss of fear and wild lawlessness”, said Yulia Gorbunova, senior researcher on Ukraine at HRW, who focusses on violations in the occupied territories. "Torture, inhumane treatment, as well as arbitrary detention and unlawful detention of civilians, are among the apparent war crimes we have documented, and Russian authorities need to end such violations immediately and understand that they can, and will, be held accountable.”

Emergency relief in the Netherlands

Doctors of the World has been providing emergency medical support to Ukrainians since the first refugees arrived in the Netherlands. The teams provide medical care in the form of primary health care – care that does not require a referral, such as the treatment provided by a general practitioner or dentist - and psychological support. Medical volunteer Joanne Bakker: “It was heartbreaking to see the Ukrainians in our care bus. I saw a lot of stress symptoms, for example a six-year-old girl had developed tics as a result of the trauma she endured. She blinked a lot and had minor panic attacks.

Her mother was distressed and on top of that they were in a new country where everything was foreign to them.”

Chats with a language buddy

Our partner Het Begint Met Taal (It Starts With Language) matches Dutch volunteers with Ukrainian refugees who want to learn Dutch. People in the 'Language buddies for Ukrainians' pilot program talk online via Teams, Zoom or FaceTime on a weekly basis. A coordinator matches the language buddies with those who want to learn Dutch. Through this one-on-one contact, the participants expand their vocabulary, conversational skills and gain confidence to speak Dutch. “I feel more confident speaking Dutch, for example with customers at work”, says a Ukrainian participant.

Additionally one of the volunteers explains: “It may seem very simple, recognizing or speaking a few words of Dutch, but it is a huge step, especially if you've fled a war-torn country. I have a lot of respect for our participants.”

Responding to changing societal priorities

In a rapidly changing society, a philanthropic foundation needs to be flexible enough to adapt to rapidly changing societal priorities. To that end, in addition to its three programs, Adessium has reserved part of its budget for flexible funding. Through this budget, Adessium was able to provide approximately 1 million Euros for emergency support for Ukrainian refugees. Moreover, we believe that producing quality information during a war is crucial, especially when disinformation is used as a war tactic. That is why we also supported partners who ensure journalists can continue to do their work in Ukraine and abroad.

Top left: Doctors of the World provides emergency medical care to Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands.