Maria Babchenko (21) slips through a dark world as she drives home in the car. Not a single street lamp is lit in Kiev.
Once at her apartment building, she has to walk to the 17th floor: no electricity, no elevator. If the heating fails, the pipes freeze. In order not to shiver, she wears thermal clothing. When the tap water is running, she drinks a lot of tea. After all, she lives not far from a hospital. This means: in this district of the Ukrainian capital, the electricity does not go out that often.
This is how Babchenko describes her life via SMS. A harsh reality from a Swiss point of view. However, compared to internally displaced persons in Ukraine, the young woman is privileged. 17.7 million people in Ukraine need help, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Unocha) reports.
8.5 million people in need
Those in need include 8.5 million people who fled to other regions of the country before the Russian attack, leaving most of their belongings behind. If you are lucky you will have a blanket or a sleeping bag. And lives in a tent city, heated by generators and wood stoves. Unlucky birds freeze to death. Depending on the region, temperatures below minus 15 degrees are normal.
To prevent millions from dying from the cold, the Federal Council approved CHF 100 million in winter aid in early November. The recipients of the money are usually funds like Unocha’s
This also includes direct material aid. Switzerland donated 30 generators and fire pumps. 40 heaters and generators will follow on December 22, the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs reports when asked.
‘Swiss aid is modest’
But is that enough? Many aid organizations prefer to avoid this question, including Caritas. The Catholic aid organization reports: “Switzerland provided fast and extensive humanitarian aid and always expanded the aid.” The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said: “The ICRC expresses its gratitude for the support it has received in response to the war in Ukraine.” Both organizations receive financial support from the Swiss government for their activities in Ukraine.
Critical are voices that are independent of federal Bern, for example the development organization Helvetas. It finances its aid to Ukraine exclusively from donations and contributions from Swiss Solidarity. “Compared to other European countries, Switzerland’s aid is rather modest,” says Helvetas.
Humanitarian aid worth €202 million
A look at the numbers confirms this. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy maintains a database of support services for Ukraine. According to this statement, from January 24 to November 20, Switzerland provided EUR 202.8 million in humanitarian aid. This corresponds to 0.03 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). By comparison, Austria donated about 570 million, about 0.13 percent of its GDP.
Patricia Shmorhun Hawrylyshyn (65) thinks Switzerland should support Ukraine more generously. She is a co-founder of Move Ukraine, a charity that renovates schools and gyms, finds beds, furnishes kitchens, installs radiators and converts vacant spaces into living space.
Move Ukraine is currently setting up a children’s hospital in the town of Stryj, south of Lviv. The Swiss wants to house 470 people by January. All without public money: the donors from Switzerland have so far all been private individuals. They raised more than 650,000 francs.
Everyday things are necessary
Shmorhun Hawrylyshyn advises, “Anyone who wants to help should think: what do you need if you have no electricity, no hot water and no way to cook?” Certainly, the demand for generators is high. But everyday things such as winter coats, gas stoves, power banks and sleeping bags are also popular.
For the helper, it’s about much more than just saving Ukrainian women from a cold death: “If the war doesn’t end here, it will spread.” All countries bordering Ukraine are prepared for this escalation. Shmorhun: “The madness of this war has not yet been fully understood in Switzerland.” Each donation strengthens the resistance and helps to end the armed conflict faster in the interest of Ukraine.
Escape from Kiev
She originally lived with her husband in Kiev. Since the two had to flee, they are in Ivano-Frankivsk, a city in western Ukraine where some 230,000 people once lived. It usually has electricity for six to eight hours a day – an average of two hours with and four hours without electricity. But the rhythm is not very regular: sometimes the lights go on in the middle of the night. “Then I get up and try to shower, wash or cook as quickly as possible.” In order not to freeze, she sleeps in a down jacket. She has now become accustomed to these extreme living conditions.
Maria Babchenko from Kiev has also learned to deal with the cold. If she wants to survive, she has no choice. “People adapt to everything,” she says, recalling her president’s words: “It is better to live without light, water and heating than with the Russians.”