ADRA Ukraine: Neutral Relief, Early Recovery & Development — 3.7 Million Assisted Since 2022
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/04/15
ADRA Ukraine is the national office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. Established in 1993, it delivers assistance simultaneously in emergency, early recovery, development under neutral, impartial, independent principles with UN agencies, institutional and private donors, governments of the countries across the world (Canada, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic etc).
Since 2022, ADRA’s network reports assisting 3.7 million people in Ukraine. Program Director Maryna Savchuk leads ADRA Ukraine’s portfolio design and delivery—coordinating grants, donor relations, and inter-agency partnerships—while stewarding access and compliance. She has represented ADRA in meetings with Canada, Sweden, Japan on humanitarian and Denmark on reconstruction and development priorities as needs shift.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Among cash, winterization, WASH, shelter, or MHPSS, what are urgent priorities?
Maryna Savchuk: As the winter is coming and the intensification of attacks on Ukrainian energy system is desperately increased, matching the negative record from 2022, Winterisation as a part of Shelter activities is in priority. This year ADRA Ukraine was the first NGO in Ukraine, providing solid fuel distribution (funds by GAC), which was highly estimated by UN, and showed as the example. Also, for this activity we have the funds from Germany and Japan both for individuals and IDP`s collective sites distribution.
Jacobsen: How do neutrality, impartiality, and independence shape field access and community acceptance?
Savchuk: Neutrality, impartiality, and independence directly influence ADRA Ukraine’s ability to access communities and maintain their trust.
Even though ADRA works only in government-controlled areas, neutrality helps avoid association with political or military actors, reducing risks and supporting safe access in sensitive communities.
Impartiality builds trust, as assistance is provided solely based on needs — transparently and equally for all. This reduces tension within communities and facilitates cooperation with local authorities.
Independence ensures that decisions on programming, beneficiary selection, and delivery modalities are made exclusively for humanitarian reasons, not influenced by local interests.
Together, these principles ensure community acceptance of ADRA Ukraine and support stable, safe access for project implementation.
Jacobsen: What safeguards protect staff and beneficiaries?
Savchuk: ADRA UA has key safeguards in place — a strong Safeguarding Policy, safe recruitment, mandatory training, clear Codes of Conduct, and confidential reporting channels — to protect both staff and beneficiaries. Safeguarding is extremely important for us, and we take these responsibilities very seriously. Every project we implement includes safeguarding requirements and risk-mitigation measures from the very beginning. The Safeguarding Specialist ensures that all these measures work in practice: provides training, monitors compliance, conducts risk assessments, and manages reports safely and confidentially to maintain a truly safe and accountable environment.Where do partnerships, e.g., WFP/UNICEF pipelines, improve speed or quality?
Jacobsen: How are duty-of-care and psychosocial support integrated for staff?
Savchuk: ADRA Ukraine has very strong MHPSS team, who provides the free individual sessions to our employees on demand. Also, we have the mandatory Plan of mental health on the working place – is the weekly training sessions for prevention burnouts.
Jacobsen: What contingency plans exist for power, fuel, and logistics disruptions?
Savchuk: During the writing every Project Proposal there is the risk matrix as the mandatory part of it, where all this issues are mentioned. According to the power – all our offices, warehouses, distribution points have the generators, ecoflows systems and starlinks to work in the blackout situation. For the fuel disruptions we have the several fuel suppliers contracted with the additional reserves. According logistics – planning alternative delivery routes and using different transport modes depending on road and security conditions, coordinating with local authorities and partners to ensure community access even when logistics are disrupted.
Jacobsen: How do you communicate service suspensions transparently?
Savchuk: In ADRA Ukraine the system of communication regarding any changes, suspection developed within:
- Inside organisation to provide the information to all staff members, including call-center
- Every project manager provide clear information on the dates, components, areas of assistance to beneficiaries and local authorities through different channels of communication (social media, site, posters, local groups etc.)
- On the stage of project writing the exit strategy and sustainable approach are mandatory, so even if there is the end of assistance by one project we are trying to redirect our beneficiaries or to other ADRA`s projects, or to other NGOs.
Jacobsen: In the future, what evidence might indicate ADRA Ukraine should rebalance from emergency relief toward early recovery?
Savchuk: Ukraine has the unique context. With still the longest frontline in the world and very intensified interventions, record massive missile attacks with the newest weapon, our country operating in development process. And from 2023 the process of recovery was started. And ADRA Ukraine is involved for that. We have several projects on rehabilitation of social and critical infrastructure, HEALTH and educational institutions, capacity building, democratic initiatives. Moreover, ADRA Ukraine provides holistic approach between emergency and development programs with the strong referral system.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Maryna.
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