Warm for winter: PWRDF continues support for Ukrainians with disabilities

Since Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine began in 2022, PWRDF has been supporting Ukrainian organization Fight for Right. Founded in 2017 by a group of Ukrainian women with disabilities, Fight for Right seeks to provide support and improve health and safety for people living with disabilities. Ongoing war and Russian occupation have made life for those with limited mobility or impaired vision increasingly difficult, but to date, Fight for Right has supported nearly 20,000 Ukrainians living with disabilities.

During the height of the invasion, Fight for Right successfully evacuated more than 1,500 people to safer areas – something that proves to be much more difficult for people with disabilities — through the PWRDF-supported TEPLO project. The project has also aided with emergency medical response, essential medications, rehabilitation, and has provided more than a thousand units of assistive technologies, including wheelchairs, hearing aids, crutches and more.

Winter is a particularly challenging time for Ukrainians with disabilities, as the season can bring freezing temperatures and harsh weather conditions including snow and ice. TEPLO aims to provide adequate clothing and other supplies needed to survive the winter for those in need. In 2023, TEPLO provided 6,000 people with power banks, heaters and gas stoves. The program has also provided warm clothing and other warm essential non-food items for internally displaced people and cash assistance for winterization. In total, TEPLO supported 3,500 people with these items and resources this year.

Globally, about 20% of people are living with disabilities. War and natural disasters increase the chances of getting a temporary or permanent disability. Through partnership with Fight for Right, PWRDF is committed to improving the quality of life and promoting human rights for all people with disabilities.