Partnerships working to support Ukrainian families

Over the past two months, RE:ACT has been involved in the successful assembly and distribution of key family food packs to those experiencing food shortages in Eastern Ukraine as a result of the ongoing conflict. This humanitarian work would not be possible without collaboration and partnership working.

As humanitarians, our main priority is the people affected by crisis or disaster and their needs. This remains at the heart of every operation we carry out, every decision we make, and the support we provide.

Since deploying in response to the Ukraine conflict, we have been working alongside local organisations to provide timely and appropriate support to those in need.

Working with local organisations consolidates the humanitarian response and helps us to provide the best possible support to the most vulnerable. Local partners provide insight into the situation on the ground and the challenges affected communities are facing. This robust assessment of the situation, from people who are familiar with the local area, the language, and any cultural or political considerations is invaluable for RE:ACT, allowing us to tailor our response to meet the clearly defined needs of those affected by disaster.

Earlier this year when RE:ACT began assessing the need within Ukraine and planning how we could best provide support, we were introduced to the Ukrainian Education Platform (UEP).

The UEP is a charity that focuses on supporting and educating young people in Ukraine through various initiative including summer camps but however, they repurposed when the conflict began and have since been providing humanitarian aid and support to those in need earlier this year when the conflict in Ukraine started.

We have been working in partnership with UEP to sustain aid pipelines, and most recently have begun providing family food packs to civilians facing food shortages. Having a strong partnership with UEP has helped to secure a warehouse for use as a  production site, supplies for the packs, and has facilitated the planning of distribution logistics.

Since production started, RE:ACT and UEP have worked together to provide 6,000 family food packs to people in need, with a target of 10,000 by mid-September.

Once the family food packs are assembled in Poland, UEP transports the packs across the border into Ukraine where they are distributed in some of the hardest to reach areas. You can read more about the journey of the family food packs here.

We are proud to work with UEP and all of our partner organisations to provide humanitarian relief to those most in need. Our partnerships play a significant part in RE:ACT operations, but so do you. Without our volunteers and donors none of our work would be possible.