
Ukraine
When Ukraine became an independent nation in 1991, it was one of the poorest Soviet republics.Ukraine has been known as the breadbasket of Europe and is a top global producer of cereals such as wheat and maize, as well as sunflower products. Its highly fertile soil, Chernozem, is rich in organic matter called humus.Mission Without Borders

Thanks to our generous sponsors, we have been working in Ukraine since 1993. Currently we are supporting 530 families in various communities in Rivne oblast, helping them to develop their potential and find ways to provide for themselves.
Mission Without Borders is also providing regular support to 100 families displaced by the war, offering emotional support as well as much-needed food and essentials.
Independence and poverty in Ukraine
When Ukraine became an independent nation in 1991, it was one of the poorest Soviet republics. It had endured two world wars and a civil war, with the Holocaust and Stalinist purges displacing and killing millions of people. Ukraine’s transition to a free-market economy was fraught with difficulty, and 1991-96 saw hyperinflation and economic decline, with many people living in extreme poverty.
Mission Without Borders was first registered in Ukraine in 1993 under the name ‘Brotherhood Without Borders’. We aimed to support families, elderly people, those with disabilities and children in state-run institutions with the financial support they desperately needed, and most importantly, our goal was to reach people for Christ.
In 1996, we started up our family sponsorship programme in Ukraine, and in 2001, we launched Child Rescue International, providing support to children placed in orphanages under Communism. To this day, we support children living in 27 children’s institutions.
In 2023, we launched child sponsorship in the community, where children living in poverty can be sponsored and receive the regular support they need.
Corruption and conflict
While poverty rates fell after the 1990s, Ukraine’s economic progress continued to be stalled by corruption and inefficiency in the 2000s, its economy dominated by oligarchs. Agriculture is a large part of Ukraine’s economy but its potential was never fully developed due to a lack of investment in modern technology and a lack of land reform.
In 2014, Russia’s occupation of Crimea and then the conflict breaking out in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in eastern Ukraine, led to over 1.5 million people being displaced to other parts of Ukraine – including Sarny region, where are based. Mission Without Borders began to support some of these families, and we also opened a new office in Slavyansk, Donetsk oblast, to help people living in deep poverty who were affected by the ongoing conflict.
Refugee crisis
When Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it resulted in Europe’s biggest refugee crisis since World War 2. Mission Without Borders worked closely with local Protestant churches to support the mass arrival of refugees into western Ukraine. The need was immense.

Our staff along with volunteers from churches were working night and day to provide hot meals, clothes, shoes, emergency accommodation, laundry services, baby supplies and more to refugees, mainly women and children, who were often traumatised and exhausted.
Our office in Donetsk oblast had to be shut down in the meantime, as all residents were ordered to evacuate the region due to intense shelling.
The impact of war
Since the large-scale war began, over 14 million people – two-thirds of Ukraine’s population – have fled their homes. Over 10,000 civilians have been killed, and over 18,000 have been injured.
Poverty has soared from 5.5% of the population to 24.2% in 2022. Ukraine is now one of the most food-insecure countries in the world, with one in three households food-insecure, the UN Food Programme estimates. In partnership with churches, Mission Without Borders has provided food aid to regions particularly devastated by war.
The conflict has driven 7.1 million more people in Ukraine into poverty.Mission Without Borders
The impact of the war on education has been devastating. Hundreds of schools have been damaged or destroyed; teachers and students have to cope with air raid warnings and power blackouts; and the quality of education has been affected, as schools go online and cope with the loss of teachers.
War trauma and our response
War trauma is a widespread issue, with an estimated 9.6 million people suffering from mental health issues. The friendship and support that our staff and volunteers show children, families and elderly people helps bring hope and comfort to those who are suffering.
1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety and PTSD, UNICEF reports.Mission Without Borders

Mission Without Borders launched a new programme in 2023 that provides regular, monthly support to refugee families living in poverty and uncertainty in Sarny region. Discover here how our staff’s regular visits to families, praying for them and connecting them to local churches, has been a lifeline to many displaced people.
Children affected by war attend our after school club and summer camps and find joy and hope amidst all the devastation. We continue to partner with local churches in Ukraine to support as many people as possible and bring God’s peace in the midst of war, when reaching people for Christ is more urgent than ever.