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Helvetas, the Swiss organization for development cooperation and humanitarian aid, is further expanding its commitment for those in need in Ukraine. Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the focus is on two areas of activity: repairs to war-damaged houses and water and energy systems, and measures for economic development. The latter is thanks to the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Czech Republic – represented by the Ministry of Interior – and the Swedish International Cooperation Agency.

Still rarely discussed are the problems of the massive economic impacts of the war: Millions of people have lost their jobs. At the same time, there is a lack of skilled labor in certain sectors as people have had to flee or been drafted into the army. The labor shortage also affects the construction industry, where bricklayers and plumbers, for example, are urgently needed to repair war damage.

Preventing extreme humanitarian hardship

Work and income, as well as the provision of basic services, are crucial to prevent the population from falling into an extreme humanitarian emergency. “Along with the immediate attacks, the economic situation poses an existential threat to the people of Ukraine in the medium term. Helvetas is using various approaches to empower people for self-help,” says Helvetas’ Managing Director Melchior Lengsfeld. For example:

Helvetas offers trainings and creates jobs for the population in the eastern regions of Ukraine that have been particularly affected by the war. This also benefits many internally displaced people, people with disabilities, and war veterans.

Together with local partners, Helvetas offers training courses and jobs for women in male-dominated sectors of the economy to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers caused by the mobilization.

Together with its Ukrainian and international partners, the Swiss NGO supports small and medium-sized enterprises that are active in eastern Ukraine despite the war and form the backbone of the local economy.

Shelters for school children

Helvetas also supports small, local organizations in Ukraine that can apply for funding from Helvetas for example, to set up winter-proof shelters for the displaced population in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions. Other organizations support people traumatized by the war with psychosocial counselling from local experts. The psychological effects of the war are a serious problem that still receives too little attention.

Thanks to the support of Swiss Solidarity and the SDC, Helvetas and its local partners are helping to ensure that shelters are put in place in schools for children to attend kindergarten or school, despite frequent alarms and the constant threat of attacks by the Russian army. Without such facilities, only online lessons are possible. Classroom teaching is crucial for young people’s learning success and for social reasons – and therefore for the future of the country – and makes everyday life easier for many families. “Helvetas is committed to helping people who hardly anyone else can look after and is thus closing gaps in international aid – this is extremely important for the local people,” says Luzia Tschirky, a journalist, author and Ukraine expert who visited Helvetas’ projects in January.