Since the beginning of the conflict, AMU and AFN have undertaken numerous actions representing the Focolare Movement’s Emergency Coordination, starting with the immediate collaboration with Caritas-Spes Ukraine. Food and medicine were the first aid provided, along with psychological support and the reception of internally displaced persons in Caritas-Spes Ukraine centers.
A single vision: health as hope
Vinnytsia and Kharkiv are located at two extremes of Ukraine, but they share the same urgent need: to be treated, listened to, supported. Both projects respond to the same belief: that health is a right, not a privilege, and that solidarity can bridge distances and wounds.
In total, these interventions will:
✅ offer over 9,000 direct medical services,
✅ reach more than 25,000 people, including direct and indirect beneficiaries,
✅ strengthen the health resilience of war-affected communities,
✅ rebuild a human fabric made of trust and hope.
When war takes everything away, healing becomes an act of resistance
In Ukraine, the war doesn’t just affect homes and cities. It wounds invisibly: in weakened bodies, in tired faces, in families who have lost not only a roof over their heads but also their access to healthcare.
Millions of people, including the elderly, mothers, children, and internally displaced persons, are now living without access to medical care . Hospitals have been destroyed or overcrowded, doctors are exhausted, and medicines are in short supply. Many rural communities are cut off from any health service: even calling an ambulance can be impossible.
It is in this scenario that, in collaboration with Caritas SPES Ukraine , we have chosen to respond with two concrete and humane projects:
💙 Medical Vinnytsia – to provide free medical care and consultations to rural areas in the central-western part of the country;
💛 Medical Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience – Kharkiv – to provide medical assistance and hygiene kits to displaced people in the eastern region.
Two complementary initiatives, united by the same spirit: to restore dignity and health to those who have nothing left .
1. “Medical Vinnytsia” – Medical care for those who no longer have access to healthcare
The silent health emergency
In the Vinnytsia region, more than 150,000 internally displaced people have found refuge in small villages without healthcare facilities. Clinics are closed, doctors are in short supply, and many residents have not had a medical check-up in over a decade .
“Medical Vinnytsia” was created to bring care to those who have been forgotten , through mobile clinics that reach even the most isolated areas.
“Many patients tell us, ‘No one has come to us in years.’ They’re not just looking for medicine, but for a listening ear, a presence, and trust.”
— Volunteer doctor, Vinnytsia, 2024
What will the project achieve?
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5,100 free medical visits;
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1,850 laboratory diagnostic tests;
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purchase of medical equipment and sanitary materials;
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setting up a permanent clinic in the Vinnytsia social center.
Thanks to this intervention, thousands of people will be able to regain access to primary care, prevention and medical monitoring, with particular attention to children, the elderly and pregnant women .
2. “Medical Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience” – Kharkiv
Kharkiv: healing amid the rubble
In the Kharkiv region, hit hard by bombing, the war destroyed infrastructure, factories, and hospitals. Over 5 million people lost their jobs , and the economic crisis made it impossible to afford medicines or medical visits.
Many families are living in temporary shelters, without access to transportation or functioning health facilities.
Ambulances no longer arrive, and those who get sick simply stay at home, hoping to get better on their own.
The “Medical Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience” project responds to this emergency by bringing doctors and medicines directly into communities , in a “widespread and people-friendly” healthcare model.
“We go to villages, shelters, and temporary dormitories. There’s no hospital, but we bring with us what we need to provide care and listen.”
— Medical Coordinator, Kharkiv, 2023
Objectives and results
The aim is to provide free, qualified medical care to 3,900 displaced people and vulnerable people for a period of five months, through:
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on-site medical visits and specialist consultations;
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distribution of essential medicines and hygiene kits;
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psychosocial support and counseling for war-related trauma;
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purchase and supply of equipment to improve the operational capacity of the healthcare team.
The uniqueness of the project lies in its physical and human proximity : care is not provided in hospitals or official centers, but directly in the places where people live .
This ensures timeliness, trust, and accessibility even for those without transportation or documents.
Why your support is crucial
Contributing to “Medical Vinnytsia” and “Medical Humanitarian Assistance – Kharkiv” means:
❤️ save lives,
🏥 support the universal right to health,
🤝 bring assistance where hospitals no longer exist,
🌱 restore dignity to those who war has deprived of everything.
Every contribution — small or large — translates into care, medicines, and a helping hand to those who can no longer count on anyone .
“Every time a person receives free treatment, it’s as if we were telling them: we haven’t forgotten you.”
A gesture that heals
In Ukraine, the war continues, but solidarity continues to thrive. Every mobile clinic, every volunteer doctor, every donation is a touch of humanity that pierces the roar of destruction.
Supporting these projects means choosing life, hope, and care as the strongest response to war.