New Winterisation Programme to Support More Than 20,000 People in Eastern Ukraine

For people living close to the frontline in Ukraine, winter brings more than just cold weather. Repeated missile and drone attacks have damaged energy infrastructure, leaving communities vulnerable to power cuts, heating shortages and disruptions to essential services. Through its newly established office in Kharkiv, around 25 kilometres from the frontline, Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) is launching a major winter relief programme to help war-affected communities in the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv get through the coming months. Commenting on HIA’s expanded presence in eastern Ukraine and the launch of the programme, Kristóf Gáncs, President of Hungarian Interchurch Aid, said: 

“Our presence in Kharkiv is about more than opening a new office. It brings us closer to the people facing the combined challenges of war and winter. This new programme is particularly important because, as the war enters its fifth year, humanitarian needs remain immense, while the funding available for international humanitarian assistance continues to decline.” 

Running from October 2026 to March 2027, the USD 2.3 million programme is funded by the UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UN OCHA UHF) and implemented by HIA in partnership with ELEOS Ukraine, a local Ukrainian organisation and member of ACT Alliance. The response combines direct assistance to households with support for entire residential communities, helping people meet their immediate needs while maintaining access to essential services. 

HIA is providing heating assistance to 1,260 households, giving families the flexibility to decide how best to meet their winter needs. A further 4,950 people will receive winter survival kits containing essential items to help them cope with freezing temperatures and power cuts. These include sleeping bags, mattresses, thermal blankets, power banks, thermoses and portable lighting equipment. 

“For communities close to the frontline, winter can make even the most basic necessities difficult to secure. Heating, lighting, electricity and, in many cases, safe drinking water can all become major challenges. Through this programme, HIA aims to support not only individual families but also practical, community-based solutions that help entire residential communities maintain essential living conditions. The Kharkiv office enables HIA to identify local needs more quickly and respond more effectively,” said Bence Dékány, HIA’s Director of International Programmes. 

Individual assistance is only part of the response. HIA is also providing cash assistance to 78 residential communities and apartment blocks, reaching approximately 13,650 people. 

In frontline areas, residents of high-rise buildings are particularly vulnerable to disruptions in essential services. A single power cut or interruption to heating or water supplies can affect hundreds of people at once. Through its community-level support, HIA will help residents develop and improve emergency solutions to maintain energy and water supplies and keep their buildings functioning under difficult conditions. 

HIA has been working in Ukraine for nearly three decades, and its humanitarian response since the full-scale invasion in 2022 has become one of the most significant undertakings in the organisation’s history. Over the past four and a half years, working alongside international and government partners, businesses, churches and individual donors, HIA has provided assistance to 1 million people affected by the war in Ukraine and Hungary. 

With its strengthened presence on the ground, HIA can stay closer to the communities it serves, monitor changing needs and deliver assistance more quickly where it is needed most.