Representatives of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Japan visited the ADRA offices in Slovakia to assess the situation of assisting Ukrainian refugees and plan future activities in collaboration. Together, they visited several facilities to evaluate the current needs of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.

The first stop was ADRA Slovakia’s new large-capacity warehouse. By distributing food, hygiene items, and warm clothes to more than 70,000 people, they will try to improve the living conditions of people affected by the war in Ukraine during the winter months. 

Japanese partners also visited the ADRA center in Trenčín, which has provided refugees with material assistance since March 2022. The on-site visit showed them some of the current needs among refugees in Slovakia.

They also visited the Cultural Information Center, which helps immigrants to integrate in their new surroundings, find accommodation, and learn the Slovak language. They met with vice-mayor Patrik Žák and immigration coordinator Dana Váni, and discussed the needs and possibilities of helping the community of refugees.

The new ADRA Japan project’s activities aim to improve the living conditions of people affected by the war in Ukraine. The project was created particularly in response to concerns about the upcoming winter and the escalation of the conflict. 

The material aid will take the form of a family aid package containing 31 pounds (14 kg) of non-perishable food and essential hygiene items, and a package with warm clothes and means of protection against the cold.

ADRA Slovakia workers will pack the purchased food, hygiene supplies, and clothing in their packing center in Trenčín. They will load the prepared packages into trucks and send them to the partner organization ADRA Ukraine.

ADRA Ukraine regularly maps the needs of people across the country. It especially seeks to help the most vulnerable groups — re-settlers and their families in liberated cities and in areas with limited access to food, as well as people in shelters and refugee assistance centers. The project also includes post-distribution monitoring, which will verify the effectiveness of humanitarian aid. 

The humanitarian aid project from ADRA Japan, ADRA Slovakia, and ADRA Ukraine is directly connected to the previous activities and the project implemented from the sources of the government of Slovakia, ADRA International, and the partner NGO Japan Platform.

The original version of this story was posted by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Europe.