Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, International Medical Corps’ response has grown from a team of 30 based in Mariupol, in the southeast, to some 400 staff members working from locations around the country. Our response has always evolved—as the population’s needs have shifted, we have shifted our operations …
In times of war, treatable medical conditions can turn deadly when health facilities are damaged or destroyed. This brutal reality rings true in Ukraine. In 2021, before the Russian invasion launched the country into full-blown war, 91% of deaths were from chronic diseases, also known as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Currently, 9 million people in Ukraine …
International Medical Corps’ history in Ukraine dates back to 1999, but we’ve worked consistently in the country since 2014, when conflict broke out in the southeast. Based in Mariupol, our team provided outpatient primary healthcare, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and treatment services, and immunization support. When Russia invaded Ukraine …
In the quiet hours of the early morning on June 6, 2023, the familiar hum of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant Dam was replaced by a loud explosion. The dam’s destruction sent an unstoppable torrent of water from the 150-mile-long Kakhovka Reservoir downstream, resulting in an environmental catastrophe and significant humanitarian crisis. Many people in …
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through large areas of the American South, decimating homes, businesses and hospitals, and leaving thousands of people across Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi in despair. Native Mississippian John Roberts, in college at the time, volunteered to help local communities recover. What he saw there inspired him to become an emergency- and …
Prioritizing Staff Well-Being Providing humanitarian assistance in disaster and crisis situations can take a toll on the physical and mental health of frontline first responders. Because many of our staff are local to the communities they serve, they often can be directly affected by a crisis at the same time they’re working to provide lifesaving …
Michelle Engels, a mental health expert for International Medical Corps, talks about the challenges faced by Ukrainians, and how the country is responding.