ALDI’s Humanitarian relief for Ukraine: giving hope, one donation at a time

On March 2022, the ALDI SOUTH Group committed €5 million to support the ongoing humanitarian aid response and help communities, families and individuals affected by the Ukraine - Russian war. The funds are being distributed in close cooperation with established aid organisations. Since the start of the war, the ALDI SOUTH Group has donated over €3.3million worth of products and monetary donations. But this isn’t the news, the story is how those funds have been used.

From helping hundreds of refugees for over 14 years in Ukraine to become one herself, Marharyta, 32 years old and a Doctor of Psychology, saw her family’s life change forever when the war began.

With a last goodbye from her soldier husband, Marharyta and her three-year-old son travelled with only a small suitcase and the strength to survive from Kyiv to Vienna, the city she now calls home. While navigating a new language, a new culture, and many other new challenges in Austria, Martharyta found a beacon of hope in a programme offered by the charitable organization Diakonie which ALDI sponsors. Martharyta initially went to this organisation seeking help shortly after her arrival in Vienna; today, she is an employee there and is able to provide support to other people who are facing similar situations.

Just like Martharyta, thousands of people who have found themselves in need due to the war have benefitted from ALDI's SOUTH Group commitment to supporting the humanitarian relief efforts in alliance with several other international organisations.

We remain in constant communication with our charity partners to discover how the remaining amount can be utilised in the medium to long term. More information about our donations:

Red Cross Austria

ALDI's donation to the Red Cross helped to purchase eight ambulances for the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URSC) to support its operation of Mobile Health Units (MHUs) in Zakarpattia, Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblast. It also financed the relief distribution of 5,497 food parcels and the assistance programme for internally displaced people residing in Zakarpattia Oblast; this distribution benefitted 18,066 people. Sixty-five shelters have been supported with equipment and material to date, benefitting more than 6,000 people. In the long run, this organisation is planning to use the rest of the funding to help rebuild Ukraine and to continue to provide medical services.

Caritas

Caritas used ALDI's donation to support people in need in Odessa, Ukraine, through the distribution of water, food, and hygiene kits. Vouchers were also used to purchase food and first personal items.

In the medium-term, from September to December 2022, the organisation will allocate the rest of the funding on providing shelter and support for communities during the coming winter. In addition, they will also support children, orphans, and families through Psychosocial Services.

SOS Kinderdorf

As of the end of June 2022, the organisation had reached out to 42,525 programme participants with a focus on assisting both individual refugees and families in Ukraine. Alongside the ALDI partnership, this organisation was able to continue managing relocation programmes for individuals from dangerous areas. Short-term transit shelters with food, hygiene, and non-food items, reimbursement of costs for self-evacuation and short-term psychosocial support were all provided, along with mental health and psychosocial support services for children and their caregivers. Mobile teams of psychologists continued their regular work with children and parents in dormitories, schools, libraries, social centres, etc. In the long-term, the organisation will continue its emergency assistance efforts and will focus on the protection of children by providing alternative care and preventing family separation.

Diakonie

ALDI’s donations helped Diakonie’s refugee support. They have provide both physical and psychological support for people displaced by the war.

Diakonie implemented multiple projects, including the Integrated Counselling Centre, where over 2,500 displaced people from Ukraine received basic care and advice on social and health issues. It also provided support in finding housing, with services available in several languages (Ukrainian, English, Russian, and German). At Diakonie’s Housing Counselling, 2,017 people from Ukraine were successfully provided with housing in Vienna, including individuals from marginalised groups (persons with disability, autism, transgender persons, and those experiencing health concerns, etc.).

Thanks to the donation from the ALDI SOUTH Group, a helpline in Ukrainian and Russian languages could be fully funded. This free helpline provides intercultural psychosocial urgent assistance and has provided help and support to 2,814 people from Ukraine.

ALDI continues its commitment to support human rights protection on a global scale. We believe our efforts will further benefit those most in need.