Humanity & Inclusion provides logistics solutions in support of local and international organizations to deliver essential goods to people across Ukraine.
Millions of Ukrainians have lost their homes and their belongings, and entire communities are trapped in isolated war zones without heat, running water, medical supplies, or many basic household items. Across Ukraine, access to basic humanitarian goods has become increasingly difficult because of the war. Prices have risen dramatically, businesses have closed, imports have decreased, and regions impacted by armed violence are both difficult and dangerous to access.
Intense bombing and shelling continue throughout Ukraine, damaging civilian infrastructure, homes, water supply, medical facilities and power plants. Access to clean water and hygiene is limited, particularly among displaced persons, which can increase the risk of disease. Despite increasing medical needs, hospitals in war zones are facing significant difficulty accessing essential medication and storing it under the proper conditions.
Approximately 16 million people in Ukraine need water, sanitation and hygiene assistance. 11.2 million people need support with emergency shelter and essential household items. 9.3 million people require food and livelihood assistance. 1.7 million people have winter-related needs.
Organizations are sending supplies—including food, water, soap, beds, warm clothes, baby diapers, and shelter kits—for distribution to individuals in need and to collective centers housing displaced people. But without the appropriate logistics expertise, getting supplies to affected families is nearly impossible as shelling and warfare continue.
Offering logistics solutions
Through the European Humanitarian Response Capacity (EHRC)—the European Union’s new operational initiative designed to fill gaps in the humanitarian response—and the support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, HI uses its Atlas Logistics platform to support and facilitate the immediate delivery of humanitarian supplies to conflict-affected populations through common storage solutions and transportation services. The platform uses temperature and humidity-controlled storage solutions for environment-sensitive goods such as medication, which would otherwise be irreversibly damaged amid widespread power outages and harsh weather conditions.
HI has operational logistics warehouses in Vinnytsia, Dnipro and Kharkiv, and uses its security expertise to provide “last-mile” delivery to regions near the frontlines or other areas considered hard to reach due to safety hazards.
“It can be hard for families in Ukraine to get basic supplies,” says Viktor Kondratenko, Atlas Logistics warehouse manager. “Goods are more expensive, especially those coming from abroad, and it’s difficult to access zones with the frequent bombing. Atlas Logistics provides storage and transportation services, even to these dangerous zones.”
Kondratenko, pictured above, and his family moved to Vinnytsia after their home city of Kyiv experienced its first air raid in Spring 2022.
“I think we do a very important job,” he adds. “A lot of people need these goods and we work closely with our partners to satisfy those needs. It’s important to help people in these hard times.”
HI supports 15 to 20 shipments per week. In 2022, HI supported 720 shipments, delivering more than 7,800 tons of humanitarian goods in Ukraine. These shipments were in coordination with 37 organizations, including eight local partners.
Partnering with organizations
Humanitarian organizations, both national and international, collaborate with and rely on HI to store and transport their supplies in response to the emergency. In an effort to strengthen local response, this platform supports eight Ukrainian partner organizations: The Ukrainian Red Cross, Smart Medical Aid, Peaceful Heaven of Kharkiv, Right to Protection, RALG, AICM, Caritas Ukraine, & Healthy Nation of Ukraine.
Petro Zibrov, Logistics Officer for Action Against Hunger in Dnipro, explains the partnership with Atlas Logistics.
“Action Against Hunger and HI have a long history of cooperation in different countries, so when an issue of outsourcing of a warehouse for humanitarian cargoes arose in the spring of 2022, we turned to Atlas Logistics for help,” Zibrov says. “All of our large items are stored at Atlas Logistics warehouses. We mainly store water and hygiene kits. These humanitarian kits are distributed to internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, and large families.”
Action Against Hunger also provides medicine to public medical facilities.
“We store medications from France at Atlas Logistics’ temperature-controlled warehouses,” Zibrov continues. “Cooperation with the warehouses is very convenient for us. We have a high level of trust in Atlas Logistics, and we know that the goods are stored in a clean, proper environment.”
Atlas Logistics also provides support to Premiere Urgence International in Lviv and Dnipro. Vladyslav Ochkur, Facilities & Assets Logistics Officer, Premiere Urgence International
“Atlas Logistics accepted our medications for storage and delivered them to other cities; it’s not easy to find a warehouse for medications in Dnipro,” explains Vladyslav Ochkur, facilities and assets logistic officer for Premiere Urgence International. “We also use the warehouses for storage of boilers, heaters, UFO lamps, electric and regular blankets. All this is delivered to medical facilities, nursing homes, and shelters for internally displaced persons.”
Cooperating with Atlas Logistics is convenient for us, as we don’t have to spend our own resources and opportunities looking for a warehouse or transportation company,” Ochkur adds. “It’s good to have partners like this to help as many people as possible.”