Weekly Update #27
September 5

• The heaviest fighting was reported in the eastern Donetska oblast, and the area close to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine was again affected by hostilities. Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency are present at the nuclear facility, an action that may deter further shelling of the area.

• While recent fighting in the area has caused some damage to the plant, so far there has not been any recorded increase in radiation levels in the area. Nuclear experts around the world have warned that a nuclear catastrophe is imminent if the Russians are not maintaining the plant correctly and if shelling in the area does not stop.

• In non-government controlled areas of the oblast, most civilian casualties and damage to civilian buildings and infrastructure were reported in the front-line cities of Donetsk, Horlivka and Makiivka. The EU is giving more than five million anti-radiation tablets to Ukraine, as fears grow of an accident at the plant

Sources: https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/10/1116461260/ukraine-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-russia-war- satellite-images

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND RESPONSE

The global generous response to the unending needs brought about the tragedy of war has been inspired by the resilience of the Ukrainian people who have been displaced by the war, but who persist in their faith in divine help, as expressed by ICMC Secretary-General Msgr. Robert Vitillo.

While the UN and partners have reached over 12 million people in need since the start of the war, but less than 1 million in non-government controlled areas (NGCAs) of Ukraine are reached, whose humanitarian needs are acute. The Humanitarian Coordinator assured the Ukraine government that the UN is constantly negotiating for access to allow humanitarians to deliver “absolutely necessary” relief items across the front lines.

On 26 August, a convoy organized by the UN and our partners reached Toretsk in Donetska oblast, delivering 56 tons of food and other relief items for 2,000 people living close to the front line and under frequent shelling. And on 29 August, the UN and partners also delivered the last of six truckloads of humanitarian assistance to Mykolaiv, a city entirely cut off from the central water supply and impacted daily by shelling and missile strikes.

In other humanitarian responses, the Government of Denmark announced on 25 August a contribution of $1.6 million to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to strengthen Ukraine’s coordination of demining and the removal of unexploded ordnance.

In this section, we feature snapshots of the different ways key humanitarian partners, such as the United Nations agencies and various faith communities, have been engaged in alleviating the devastating impacts of this tragic war. These information are regularly provided by humanitarian actors and reflect activities/results undertaken in the previous week. Further details are available from the links provided.

Food Security

About 9.3 million people across Ukraine urgently need food and livelihood assistance. Six months since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, WFP continues to step up its efforts, assisting over 2.6 million conflict-affected people in August to date, amid an escalation of fighting deteriorating an already dire situation.

• Food distributions are concentrated in the east and south of the country, where fighting and supply chain disruption make food inaccessible to families who have remained in Ukraine’s frontline and hard-hit areas, such as Zaporizhzhia (only 8 km from the frontline), Kurakhove, Mariinka, and Selidove.

• For sustainable food supply, the Food Security and Livelihood Cluster is currently conducting several types of livelihood activities, such as providing agricultural inputs (seeds and basic tools), technical vocational education training and grants for business, job creation or access to employment.

• Livelihood development efforts have become a priority, due to job losses caused by the war. The United Nations Development Programme is conducting ongoing Technical Vocational Education Training in Dnipro as a step towards a pilot project, Creation of Businesses Support Centre in Lviv. Meanwhile, the Danish Refugee Council provided cash assistance for the purposes of Technical Vocational Education Training in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.

Sources: https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/

WFP Limited Emergency Operation External Situation Report, 02 September 2022

Education

With the start of the school year, the impact of the war on Ukraine’s education system has been strongly felt. Across the country, schools have been targeted or used in the conflict, and many families do not feel safe sending their children to school. An initial study, Education Needs Assessment, concluded that 75 per cent of affected pre-school and general secondary education learners studied online. This proportion is expected to change in the coming school year. Based on the available information, a larger portion of schools will initiate hybrid learning in the fall, with the option to switch online depending on heating access and security needs.

The assessment also showed that 11 per cent (3,500 out of 31,347) of school and learning facilities are not available for educational activities as they are being used to host the displaced.

• Across the country, schools were reported to be making repairs and building or arranging access to bomb shelters. Ukraine’s Education Ministry reported that, as of 30 August, more than 2,400 educational institutions had been damaged in the war and that 270 of them (11 per cent) were destroyed.

• The start of the new school year across Ukraine on 1 September will, in the context of the ongoing war, reportedly feature a mix of in-class and distance learning – depending on the security situation in the individual oblasts and the availability of bomb shelters. According to the Education Cluster, the lack of bunkers and early warning alarm systems connected to schools can also delay the start of the school year in September, as these Ministry of Education and Science requirements must be met for schools to reopen.

• To mitigate the impacts of the upcoming winter on the humanitarian situation, UNICEF Ukraine is rolling out an integrated winter preparedness plan through the country office’s existing humanitarian programme for children. Focus will be put on providing integrated support in schools, alternative care centres, and hospitals, and on reaching children on the move with winter clothing and providing humanitarian cash assistance to households with access to markets.

Sources: https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/

UNICEF Ukraine Humanitarian Situation Report No. 19, 26 July - 24 August 2022

Sources: https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/ukraine/cash-working-group

https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/

• The Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster partners are seeking ways to boost the capacities of existing collective centres (CCs) with regard to repairs and negotiating with CC facilities to allocate additional space for internally displaced people. In total, 1 million people have been reached by the Cluster partners with assistance. Nearly 903,000 people have been reached with NFIs, and over 98,500 people have benefitted from acute emergency shelter support.

• UNHCR, WFP, IOM, UNICEF have supplied wide-ranging support to address basic needs. UNHCR has delivered emergency shelter kits and relief items; WFP has facilitated access of the inter-agency humanitarian cargo on behalf of other organizations; IOM has provided repair services of shelters and sewage and ventilation systems; UNICEF has given water purification chemicals, and equipment to water companies to ensure safe water supply.

Sources: https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/ukraine/

UNHCR Ukraine Situation Flash Update #28 (2 September 2022)

WFP Limited Emergency Operation External Situation Report, 02 September 2022

UNICEF Ukraine Humanitarian Situation Report No. 19, 26 July - 24 August 2022

IOM Operational Update 23-29 August 2022

HOLY FATHER ON UKRAINE

Angelus - 4 September 2022

And now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary, so that she might obtain the gift of peace throughout the world, especially for war-torn Ukraine. May she, the first and perfect disciple of the Lord, help us follow the example and holiness of life of John Paul I.

Ed ora ci rivolgiamo in preghiera alla Vergine Maria, perché ottenga il dono della pace in tutto il mondo, specialmente nella martoriata Ucraina. Lei, la prima e perfetta discepola del Signore, ci aiuti a seguire l’esempio e la santità di vita di Giovanni Paolo I.

General Audience - 31 August 2022

Saluto cordialmente tutti i polacchi. Domani ricorderete lo scoppio della Seconda Guerra Mondiale, che ha segnato così dolorosamente la nazione polacca. E oggi stiamo vivendo la Terza. La memoria delle esperienze passate vi spinga a coltivare la pace in voi stessi, nelle famiglie, nella vita sociale e internazionale. Preghiamo in modo speciale per il popolo ucraino. Maria vi sostenga nella scelta quotidiana di bontà, giustizia e solidarietà con i bisognosi, generando nei vostri cuori speranza, gioia e libertà interiore. Vi benedico di cuore.

Holy See Communiqué, 30.08.2022

In the context of the war in Ukraine, there are numerous interventions by the Holy Father Francis and his collaborators in this regard. For the most part, their purpose is to invite pastors and the faithful to prayer, and all people of good will to solidarity and efforts to rebuild peace.

On more than one occasion, as in recent days, public discussions have arisen on the political significance to be attached to such interventions.

In this regard, it is reiterated that the Holy Father's words on this dramatic issue should be interpreted as a voice raised in defence of human life and the values associated with it, and not as a political stance. As for the large-scale war in Ukraine, initiated by the Russian Federation, the Holy Father Francis' interventions are clear and unequivocal in condemning it as morally unjust, unacceptable, barbaric, senseless, repugnant and sacrilegious.

Italian Original Text: Comunicato della Santa Sede, 30.08.2022

Vatican News: Pope: Let us pray for the Ukrainian people; we are going through the third world war

Vatican News: Pope prays for world peace, remembering Ukraine

Vatican News: Pope: We ask the Mother of God for peace in the world and in Ukraine

NEWS

Bishop Gudziak: gratitude for the sacrifice of the fallen will help to find strength from God

Ukrainian bishops took part in the Mass on the occasion of the beatification of Pope Ivan Paul I

In Prague, a priest of the UGCC took part in an international conference dedicated to Ukraine

Ukraine's Ambassador to the Holy See: We are satisfied with the Vatican's statement

The International Congress of Renovabis ended in Munich, in which bishops of the UGCC took part

The head of the UGCC to the world about the ZNPP: "I ask that international experts do not allow themselves to be deceived by the occupiers who want to pass off wishful thinking."

MEMBER REPORTS

Depaul International and Depaul Ukraine Update Report, September 2