Ukraine faces ongoing devastation from Russia's full-scale invasion since February 2022, with OCHA's 2026 HNRP projecting 10.8 million people in need amid strikes, displacement, and winter challenges. Frontline oblasts like Kharkiv and Sumy face shelling, outages, and service gaps, leaving vulnerable groups in damaged homes. GBV, trauma, and MHPSS shortages plague millions. Over 1,700 children suffer from anxiety and isolation, with undertrained caregivers at burnout risk. Nearly 3,600 facilities are damaged, between them 371 schools have been destroyed.
The aim of the project “SPARK”, founded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) is to contribute to provide life-saving multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance and access to essential services to the most vulnerable persons affected by the war in Ukraine, ensuring their safety and dignity, with a particular focus on areas with high levels of need. The intervention aims to improve the protection, mental health, and psychosocial well-being of conflict-affected populations - particularly children, women, and frontline communities - through integrated protection that includes tailored material assistance, MHPSS, and educational continuity services in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
The project will provide legal assistance and advice to vulnerable groups, including survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and internally displaced persons (IDPs); awareness-raising campaigns on gender-based violence and promotion of safe spaces; legal training for local professionals on rights and procedures in crisis situations to respond effectively to emergencies; distribution of essential goods (food kits, winter kits) and training to caregivers of Family Homes on psychosocial support, emergency psychology and psychological first aid.
