Ongoing Assistance: The World Food Programme and the Ukrainian Red Cross in the Kherson Region

In February 2023, the World Food Programme (WFP) began operations in the Kherson region. In collaboration with Ukrainian Red Cross volunteers, 350,500 food parcels have been distributed since then. Initially, the aid was provided to residents of the Bilozerka community, and following the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and subsequent flooding, it was extended to the residents of Kherson.

Since 2024, the focus has been on supporting the elderly (aged 60 and over) and people with disabilities who continue to live in Kherson despite the ongoing shelling.

“The first distribution of food aid took place on 15 February 2023,” says Svitlana Shcherbyna, WFP project coordinator at the Kherson regional branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross. “In February, we distributed 1,800 kits, and this number grew each month. By the end of 2023, we were distributing 11,500 kits per month, and by December 2024, that number had increased to 21,000.”

One of the biggest challenges in this work is the security situation in Kherson and the surrounding region, which remains difficult due to ongoing shelling by Russian troops. However, despite the danger, people continue to return to the city, and the lists of residents in need of support are regularly updated. Thanks to the collaboration between the World Food Programme and the Ukrainian Red Cross, thousands of people are receiving essential food to help them survive the war.

 “The beneficiaries look forward to these food parcels. A month after delivery, they call us to ask if we’ve forgotten about them and when we’ll be back,” comments Serhii Tomkov, distributor of humanitarian aid for the WFP project at the Kherson regional branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross.