World Vision Delivers Urgent Food And Supplies To Hospital In Ukraine

• World Vision has delivered food items and medical supplies to a hospital in Ukraine, with more deliveries set to follow in the coming days
• The need for basic food and hygiene supplies within Ukraine is increasing at a rapid rate
• World Vision has been on the ground in Romania providing food, water and psychological support to those fleeing Ukraine since the end of February

World Vision has delivered much-needed food and medical supplies to a hospital in Ukraine, following an urgent appeal from the medical facility, as the nation comes under increasing pressure from the current conflict.

A team from the international humanitarian organisation entered Ukraine at the weekend to deliver food and hospital supplies to the 600-bed hospital following an urgent plea for help.

World Vision Australia CEO Daniel Wordsworth, who has been based in the Romanian border town of Siret since last week, accompanied the shipment, which included hospital supplies such as mattresses, pillows, sheets, towels, soap and disinfectant, as well as food items such as pasta, grains, rice, oil, condensed milk and canned meat.

Wordsworth says the conflict in Ukraine is taking a huge toll on supplies of staple items, including medical and hospital goods within the country.

“We’re hearing from within Ukraine that people are desperate for food,” he says. "On top of the hospitals facing supply-chain issues to cope with their normal patient-load, they are coming under added pressure as people fleeing their homes flock to hospitals as safe havens, to seek food and shelter.

“Hospital supplies are already dangerously low, and there are real fears that food will become a critical issue within coming weeks.”

The cross-border humanitarian delivery came as World Vision works to scale up their response to the conflict. World Vision has been supporting refugees in Siret with water, food, hygiene, child-friendly kits and heaters, as hundreds of thousands of people arrive in the border town after fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

“The people we meet there were showing clear signs of emotional distress,” Wordsworth says.

“They don’t have connections, don’t have much money or means to get across the border and so are in great need of emergency assistance. Our team are meeting refugees who have crossed the border with just the clothes on their back.”

World Vision has been working around the clock with local leaders to find ways to meet the urgent need for food, medical supplies and other goods and get them to children and patients in hospitals, in particular.

World Vision New Zealand National Director Grant Bayldon says the organisation is concerned about the psychological impact on those fleeing, especially children.

"We are concerned about the detrimental psychological impact the ongoing crisis in Ukraine will have on children and families. We are very worried about children potentially being separated from their parents and families during displacement from their homes and communities, exposing them to heightened risks of violence, exploitation, and abuse,” he says.

World Vision is gearing up to provide psychological first aid to children and individuals arriving from Ukraine through a group of 45 Ukrainian-speaking psychologists.

You can help provide vital essentials like hygiene kits to children forced to flee their homes due to conflict. Text DONATE to 5055 to donate $3 to help children & families affected by the crisis in Ukraine or go to www.worldvision.org.nz.

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