The work of EDF and its members and partners in response to the Ukraine war
The European Disability Forum response to the war in Ukraine, together with organisations of persons with disabilities in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, began in March 2022.
Thanks to our funders and partners, we established a Ukraine Response Programme in April 2022. Two projects have been completed and one is ongoing, the Empower Ukraine Programme.
The work is led by organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) in Ukraine and the European Disability Forum. Prior work was done in partnership with OPDs in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia.
By April 2025 more than 70,000 people* and their families have been supported through direct services. More than 51% of these people are persons with disabilities and 13% are children.
Donors provided €10.3 million to fund this work, with the large majority being from CBM International and the German Foreign Federal Office (GFFO).
Examples of this work
Geographic scope of our current work
Last update : PT 2025-07-02
Empower Ukraine is a project working towards the better inclusion of at-risk internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, veterans, older people, single-headed households, adults and children in institutions, and members of host communities in six oblasts in Ukraine.
Status – Ongoing
This programme was a continuation of Phase 1. It continued providing immediate support to persons with disabilities and their families in Ukraine, Poland and Moldova. It also continued work to strengthen the disability movement in the region in the long-term and increase disability inclusion in humanitarian response provided by other organisations. The project ran from July 2023 until March 2025.
Status – Completed
This programme was launched immediately after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022. It provided support to persons with disabilities in Ukraine and seven neighboring and nearby countries who have been impacted by the war. It also worked to influence the wider humanitarian response and to strengthen the disability movement across the region. The project ran from April 2022 until June 2023.
Status – Completed
How persons with disabilities and their families are being supported and involved in the response
Useful links and resources for NGOs and international organisations to include persons with disabilities in emergency preparedness, response and recovery
Here you can find the key tools and initiatives we use — from engagement in the Ukraine Recovery Conferences to public statements, exhibitions, and online learning.
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