War in Ukraine: CBM continues to provide urgent humanitarian assistance.

Since the onset of the Russian invasion, the war in Ukraine has already claimed many lives, inflicted endless suffering, and forced people to flee the country. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of refugees in Europe alone is estimated to be nearly eight million.

February 24 2025, marked the third anniversary of the war of aggression against Ukraine. After three years of conflict resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and millions displaced, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine remains catastrophic. Rocket attacks on civilians have become a part of everyday life, and nearly a quarter of the country’s territory is mined. The severely damaged infrastructure significantly impacts water, electricity, heat, food, basic necessities, and medical aid supply. Approximately 40% of the population requires humanitarian assistance and protection. Over 10 million Ukrainians—almost a quarter of the population—are displaced.

Since the onset of the war, around 6.8 million people, primarily women and children, have fled Ukraine seeking refuge in other countries. An additional 3.5 million are displaced within the country.

Persons with disabilities on the run

A man in a wheelchair outside a destroyed building

Boiko Oleksandr, a wheelchair technician at the onset of the invasion, in front of his destroyed apartment in Lviv.

Among the refugees are many persons with disabilities, people with chronic illnesses, war injuries, and elderly people with limited mobility.

However, numerous persons with disabilities have been unable to leave their homes due to their circumstances. Others have been provisionally accommodated in partially destroyed and inadequately equipped facilities – isolated from community resources.

CBM aims to ensure that these vulnerable people are not overlooked and receive the essential humanitarian assistance they require.

This is why we support inclusive aid programmes in collaboration with six partner organisations and various local self-advocacy groups for persons with disabilities on the ground.

Humanitarian assistance for more than 98,000 persons with disabilities in Ukraine and neighbouring countries

Since the onset of the war until the end of 2024, CBM has used approximately 12 million euros in donations and funding to assist persons with disabilities, war injuries, and mobility impairments both in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries.

Thanks to this support, we and our partners have already reached more than 98,000 people in need (as of January 2025):

with medical assistance (including wheelchairs for children, mobile medical transport services for the elderly and inclusive medical treatment and rehabilitation therapies for people with war injuries);
with psychosocial support like referrals to psychosocial support centres and barrier-free accommodation and promotion of inclusive mental health);
with targeted cash assistance to support the housing and food security of persons with disabilities and their families;
with the development of a specialised treatment centre for spinal cord injuries as a pilot model in Lviv;
with targeted advocacy work: together with our partners, we advocate for the needs of persons with disabilities at a local, national and international level (for example, by training administrative bodies, companies, NGOs and medical staff) to improve the humanitarian assistance landscape as well as ensure a more inclusive environment for persons with disabilities in Ukraine in the long term;
by strengthening local self-advocacy organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) as important actors for inclusive humanitarian action and inclusive reconstruction in Ukraine.

Six strong partner organisations

In our inclusive emergency response for those affected by the war in Ukraine, we are working with six partner organisations and a vast network of local advocacy organisations for persons with disabilities (OPDs. As a result, people in remote rural regions also receive help.

1. European Disability Forum (EDF):

The EDF is an umbrella organisation that campaigns on behalf of persons with disabilities in Europe. EDF members in Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova actively support persons with disabilities who need support due to the Ukraine war.

2. Momentum Wheels for Humanity Ukraine (MWH):

The US-based organisation is among the few organisations worldwide that specialise in rehabilitation and assistive devices for people in low- and middle-income countries. MWH's Ukrainian project team utilises its technical expertise to support the provision of technical aids, transport and rehabilitation services, the development of a specialised treatment centre for spinal cord injuries as a pilot model in Lviv, and the training of physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

3. Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland e.V. (ASB):

ASB has domestic branches including rescue and medical services, disaster control, and more. It offers humanitarian aid overseas. Immediately following the outbreak of war, we supported internally displaced persons with disabilities in the Lviv region by providing inclusive humanitarian assistance such as cooking and sleeping facilities as well as food and hygiene kits.

4. National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities (NAPD)

Founded in 2001, the Ukrainian umbrella organisation NAPD represents over 120 organisations supporting persons with disabilities from all regions of the country. It has been actively involved in inclusive humanitarian aid on the ground since the onset of the conflicts in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Thanks to NAPD's robust, locally rooted network, persons with disabilities can be reached even in the most isolated rural areas.

5. League of the Strong (LoS)

The Ukrainian umbrella organisation LoS collaborates with 12 local organisations representing persons with disabilities to promote their participation, rehabilitation, and rights in Ukraine. In partnership with NAPD, LoS provides support to persons with disabilities and those with war injuries through the provision of technical aids, medical transport, psychosocial services, training for medical staff, and advocacy work.

6. International Ophthalmological Fellowship Foundation e.V. (IOFF)

The IOFF supports ophthalmologists and ophthalmological staff from low and middle-income countries by providing scholarships for further qualifications through in-depth specialist knowledge, enabling them to apply this expertise effectively in their home countries. Together, we ensure that Ukrainian ophthalmologists and ophthalmological staff receive additional training in the treatment of trauma and eye injuries, equipping them to assist those affected by the war of aggression.

Increased risk for persons with disabilities

Around 2.7 million persons with disabilities who were already registered in Ukraine before the war, along with a projected additional 2.5 million people with war injuries, must not be forgotten. They are significantly more likely to be left behind, experience violence, and face death—often lacking access to security, assistance, and reconstruction services.

Women and children with disabilities are at an increased risk of sexual violence, abuse, and neglect. Moreover, crucial information concerning safety and evacuation is frequently inaccessible. The evacuation centres are seldom equipped for persons with disabilities.

The situation is particularly dire in the occupied cities and communities, where there is a shortage of food, water, medicine, hygiene products, and specialised nutrition for children. It is also more challenging for these people to access air raid shelters, meaning that persons with disabilities are frequently unable to leave their homes.

We appeal to the global community, including the signatory parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to consider the unique needs of persons with disabilities in their humanitarian efforts.

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