The EU has provided €500 000 to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to improve water, sanitation and hygiene for children and women affected by the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Through the joint initiative by ECHO and UNICEF, over 60 000 children and families will benefit from hygiene supplies and 20 000 pupils will receive access to safe drinking water and improved sanitary conditions in their schools in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Over 415 000 people have been internally displaced in Ukraine due to the escalation of violence in country. At least one third of them are children. The displaced children and families are in dire need of hygiene supplies, such as diapers, toothbrushes, soap and washing powder.
The fighting in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts has severely disrupted water supply systems resulting in up to 250 000 people in Luhansk and one million people in Donetsk oblast being without access to water. The disruption continues to be a major threat to water and sewerage systems. Some functioning water supplies in the conflict-affected areas do not have chlorine for disinfection.