Ukraine Crisis Response

About the Role

The LWF member churches in Ukraine and the neighboring countries have supported the people displaced by war since the invasion in 2022, providing accommodation and food, community support, and activities to integrate the families into local communities, schools, and the labor market. LWF supports their work through financial support, opportunities for experience and information sharing, and project accompaniment. LWF cooperates with GELCU to set up heating points in Kharkiv. LWF in its humanitarian operation works with the ECACP. LWF supports 51 projects for Ukrainian refugees of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic, ranging from renovations, reconstruction, accommodation, and educational and administrative support. LWF supports 13 projects of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Augsburg Confession in Romania providing accommodation, legal support, language classes and integration. LWF supports five projects of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren for reconstruction, leisure activities, and a Ukrainian library for the refugees. LWF supports two projects of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary providing weekend school and short films creating awareness about refugee experiences. The LWF Ukraine program's efforts are concentrated in Eastern Ukraine, particularly in Kharkiv Oblast. In collaboration with local partner organizations, LWF has equipped heating points where during power cuts, people can meet, warm up, charge their device and in some places receive a hot meal. During 2023/24, LWF restored more than 500 apartments, enabling displaced families to return to their homes with dignity. Additionally, LWF trains local community workers and school teachers and staff to provide psychosocial support, addressing the emotional and mental health needs of war-affected communities. In 2024, LWF transformed underground shelters into classrooms, providing a safe learning space for 3,245 children. The first two of these underground schools were opened in early February 2025, another four locations are scheduled to open later this year.

LWF Poland provides essential support to refugees from Ukraine through a country program headquartered in Warsaw, operating four community centers across the country. These centers, run in partnership with the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland (ECACP), offer crucial services to help refugees integrate in their host community and rebuild their lives. In 2023, LWF partnered with the Avalon Foundation to assist refugees with disabilities, organizing a rehabilitation camp for Ukrainian children and their caregivers to improve their physical and mental well-being. Recognizing the prolonged nature of the crisis, LWF expanded its focus to social integration, implementing educational programs, language courses, and cultural workshops to help Ukrainians adapt to their new environment. Psychological support remains a priority, addressing trauma, family separation, and uncertainty about the future. Despite increasingly limited funding, LWF Poland remains committed to high-impact activities, such as Polish language classes and mental health support, which are still urgently needed. Through continuous needs assessments, the foundation tailors its services to best support refugees on their path toward stability and independence.

Key Activities

• Equipped heating points in Kharkiv
• Restored more than 500 apartments
• Trained local community workers and school teachers and staff to provide psychosocial support
• Transformed underground shelters into classrooms
• Provided Polish language classes and mental health support
• Organized a rehabilitation camp for Ukrainian children and their caregivers
• Implemented educational programs, language courses, and cultural workshops

Advocacy

LWF is advocating for just peace in Ukraine and calling for the end of the war. At a global level, LWF advocates ensuring that the needs and rights of refugees and vulnerable host communities are addressed through policies and practices promoting justice, peace, and dignity for all. This includes engagement with the UN and other international agencies, as well as making heard the voice of local advocacy actions by churches in the region. At national and regional levels, the LWF creates spaces for churches to discuss issues related to peace, human rights and justice. The LWF has facilitated workshops and other processes, for example in Ukraine and in Slovakia, on advocacy. LWF is an active part of civil society platforms in Ukraine that engage in advocacy at national and regional levels, which includes regular issuance of public statements. Find recent statements under “Resources”.