A Roof Means Everything

In the quiet town of Kyrykivka in northeastern Ukraine, one small clinic tells a powerful story of courage, commitment, and the difference your support can make.

When the conflict in Ukraine escalated, Kyrykivka’s ambulatory clinic found itself in the middle of a storm. Airstrikes hit the town, destroying the roof and damaging the clinic’s interior. But even under fire and occupation, the medical team decided to stay, knowing the great needs and that patients had nowhere else to go.

During that time, the ambulatory became a lifeline not just for Kyrykivka, but for neighbouring communities. As one of the only remaining operational health facilities in the area, it welcomed patients day and night. The doctors and nurses worked around the clock. One of them, Doctor Dmytro, now 83 years old, never left. He recently stood before Medair’s team, holding an emotional handwritten speech after Medair repaired the clinic’s roof: “Roof is not just a short word. It means everything for this ambulatory, for our team, and for this community.”

Why Humanitarian Aid Is Still Critical in Ukraine

In the fourth year of full-scale conflict, 12.7 million people — one in three Ukrainians — require humanitarian assistance. 3.6 million had to flee the fighting and now live internally displaced within Ukraine. 83 per cent of them have been displaced for over a year, with limited prospects for return.  The population in areas close to the front line and border regions has decreased significantly. Those who remained, either because they could not bring themselves to leave their beloved home or because they were too weak to flee, struggle to survive in a dire and dangerous situation. Widespread destruction of homes, hospitals, water systems, power grids and supply chains has left many without access to basic services. Nearly 2 million children are among those affected, and an estimated 2 million housing units have been damaged or destroyed—most in the hard-hit eastern and northern oblasts.

Front-line communities like Kyrykivka face some of the most severe conditions. Medical facilities have been bombed. Energy outages are common. Rural populations, particularly elderly people and those with disabilities, struggle to access care as pharmacies and transport services vanish. Health workers—many of them unpaid volunteers—do what they can with what little they have.

How Your Support Helped Rebuild a Lifeline

In 2024, Medair repaired the Kyrykivka’s clinic’s roof and provided the ambulatory with essential medical equipment, furniture, laptops and printers to help staff serve their community more effectively.

Thanks to this support, the clinic is now fully operational again. Between 50 and 70 people visit each day, seeking treatment for everything from chronic illnesses to acute injuries. “It was a difficult time because the roof was damaged,” said Doctor Dmytro. “Thanks to your support, our facility started shining. It used to be grey and gloomy.”

The Bigger Picture: Medair’s Work in Ukraine

In eastern Ukraine, Medair is supporting health facilities—places often near the front line, overlooked or dangerous to reach. In addition to repairs of clinics and homes, Medair is rehabilitating water infrastructure, equipping clinics, and training health workers. We prioritise services in remote or rural locations, where people have been left behind.

Medair’s teams are:

• Repairing homes and health facilities, and restoring water pipelines in areas hit by missiles

• Delivering medical supplies and furniture to clinics close to the front lines

• Installing boreholes, water towers and pipelines to ensure access to clean water

• Supporting isolated communities through mobile outreach with mental health and legal services

• Delivering hygiene kits and household items to people living near the front lines

• Providing cash assistance to enable families to independently purchase what they need most

• Promoting sustainability through partnerships with local NGOs, authorities and volunteers

As the crisis evolves, Medair remains agile, stepping into the gap between emergency response and recovery—because a repaired roof, a working tap, or a doctor with the right tools can be the start of something bigger: hope.

"Thank You for Coming—Especially in the Hard Times"

At the end of our visit to Kyrykivka, the elderly doctor repeated what many in Ukraine still feel: “You didn’t just come. You came at the hardest time. That is priceless.”

Your support made that support—and that roof—possible.

Medair's services in Ukraine are funded by the European Union, the German Federal Foreign Office, UN OCHA, UNHCR and Swiss Solidarity.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.  

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