‘Our whole world has fallen apart,’ says Tetiana Machabeli. ‘Most people think this could never happen to them, but for us it’s a reality.’ Tetiana leads the Ukrainian aid organisation Nehemia. The Netherlands is funding the organisation in part through the United Nations and the Dutch Relief Alliance.
Impact of the war
Nehemia is a partner of Dorcas (which in turn is part of the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), a partnership made up of 14 Dutch aid organisations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Three member organisations are driving the DRA’s efforts in Ukraine: Dorcas, Cordaid and Save the Children, and the Dutch government has made €2.5 million available for this response. ‘Without international support we couldn’t keep going,’ says Tetiana. ‘The impact of international support is enormous. We need aid from countries like the Netherlands to provide Ukrainians with food, drinking water, medicines and psychosocial support. That’s what we’re working around the clock to provide.’
Nehemia’s work in snapshots
One man’s story: displaced in Ukraine
‘The people we help are often in shock. After everything they’ve seen or been through, they need time and rest. Food and drink, some clean things, and a feeling of safety. Then, once they’re ready, Nehemia has psychologists and social workers ready to help them to pick up their lives again. To move on from the past and start looking forward. To do this we have therapists both for adults and for children.’
Mental health and psychosocial support
‘Everyone has their own story. And everyone who’s been forced to flee has suffered their own trauma from the war,’ says Tetiana. ‘I met a 26-year-old man from Mariupol who went with his friend to fetch water for the air raid shelter. They didn’t hear the missile until it was too late. The man I met was just able to dive for cover, but his friend wasn’t as lucky. The man had to bury his friend with his bare hands.’ Tetiana’s eyes fill with tears. ‘And what really broke his heart was when he had to phone his friend’s mother. When we first picked him up he didn’t speak for a long time. But fortunately we’ve been able to give him the support he needed.’ Most people think this could never happen to them, but for us it’s a reality.
Impact of international support for Ukraine
Tetiana: ‘Thanks to support from UNHCR we were able to expand rapidly when the war broke out, allowing us to help the maximum number of people and to find enough personnel to make that possible.’
The work of the DRA is in keeping with the Netherlands’ plans and agreements concerning humanitarian aid and diplomacy. A key element of our approach is providing multiannual (rather than crisis-specific) support to humanitarian UN organisations (World Food Programme, refugee agency UNHCR and UNICEF), the Red Cross and the DRA. This ensures that these partners have resources they can deploy flexibly, where the need is most acute – including in Ukraine, of course.
How is the Netherlands helping?
The Netherlands is helping Ukraine and its people. This includes funding aid organisations that are working to ensure people have food, drinking water, shelter and medicine, as well as psychosocial support. These organisations are working on the ground, where aid is most needed. But how exactly does this Dutch support get to where it’s needed? Ukrainian aid organisation Nehemia can help us explain. News item | 04-07-2022 | 15:09
Tetiana’s message to anyone reading this is: ‘I’m incredibly grateful for all the support we’re receiving from the international community. Because Ukraine can’t do this alone. Please don’t forget about us. And don’t allow yourself to start thinking of the war in Ukraine as “normal”. Because what’s happening here is inhuman.’
Everyone has their own story… their own trauma from the war.
Tetiana: ‘The additional aid from Dorcas has enabled us to help many more people. And to meet the needs of the most vulnerable among them.’