IMPACT Initiatives

In Ukraine, winter is more than a season. It is a humanitarian challenge shaped by weather, the impacts of conflict, and the resilience of communities and essential services. For many people, winter can mean trying to stay warm in damaged homes, during power cuts, with heating or water disrupted, while attacks continue and basic services become harder to reach.

To support winter preparedness and response planning, REACH Ukraine has published its Cold Spots Risk Assessment for the 2026/2027 winter season.

Winter-related challenges rarely occur in isolation. Cold weather, damaged infrastructure, displacement, attacks, service disruptions, and access constraints can overlap and reinforce one another, making daily life significantly more difficult for affected communities.

By identifying where these pressures intersect, the Cold Spots assessment helps highlight areas where winter-related risks may be most acute, including large urban areas where disruptions to electricity, heating, water, or communications can affect large numbers of people simultaneously.

Winter support in Ukraine is about more than keeping people warm. It is about helping people stay safe, connected, and able to access the services and support they need throughout the winter months.

🔗 Resources available via the links in the first comment.

Since the outbreak was first detected in DRC, its spread has largely followed highly connected areas around the initial cluster in Ituri. REACH teams have updated their analysis and maps to reflect the rapid increase in confirmed cases and newly affected health zones.

Key takeaways:

🔴 While response efforts focus on affected areas, preparedness must be strengthened in neighbouring health zones with strong population movement links, through RCCE, community-based surveillance, and pre-positioned response capacity.

🔴 Preparedness should also factor in health system vulnerabilities, as areas with limited access to healthcare and higher levels of unmet health needs may face delays in detection and response. Further insights on facility readiness and response capacity will be shared through an upcoming REACH assessment.

🔴 Although efforts are rightly concentrated in Ituri and North Kivu, historical mobility patterns highlight several health zones in Haut-Uele as important areas for preparedness planning. Strengthening surveillance, contingency planning, and community engagement there will be essential to improve readiness.

🔗 Resources available via the links in the first comment.

In the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak, declared on 15 May, a four-week detection gap may have allowed the virus to spread through routine population movements. The REACH team has synthesised available mobility data and secondary sources to identify key vulnerabilities.

Here are three takeaways:

🔴 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗗𝗥𝗖: 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿

Mobility data in the DRC shows that five provinces not currently classified as high-risk remain closely connected to affected areas, highlighting the urgent need to expand surveillance, Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), and preparedness beyond known hotspots.

🔴 𝗨𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

Movements along the DRC–Uganda border have been well documented as being shaped by strong economic and social ties between communities. This includes links with areas hosting South Sudanese refugees in Northern Uganda.

🔴 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵-𝗦𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗻: 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸

In South Sudan, areas like Yambio and Morobo are key entry points from the DRC, but limited health system capacity and unmet needs may delay case detection, underscoring the importance of strengthened early warning and response systems.


Read the full brief (link in the first comment)

In Ukraine local organizations are often the first to respond in times of crisis. They know the people, understand the context, and continue supporting those affected by war every day, especially in frontline areas. But to deliver vital assistance, these organizations also need to be supported.

With the help of the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid, and together with the Humanitarian NGO Platform, IMPACT Initiatives spoke with more than 150 local organizations across Ukraine to better understand what is required for them to provide aid to people.

According to our research, local organizations need more long-term and practical support, preferably in remote format, not just one-off online training. For example, an employee from a medium-sized CSO said:

“The ones we worked on with the [INGO partner] were online courses. Well, let's say, useless courses... I believe that courses should be interactive, and they should be somewhere remote, in our case, from Kherson... Because sitting under shelling, just ticking a box that you've listened to it and received this certificate online, it usually doesn't make any sense.”

The respondents also highlighted the importance of mentoring, flexible funding, and partnerships built on trust and understanding of the Ukrainian context. Additionally, some organizations mentioned staff wellbeing as their priority:

“After all these attacks and clearing the ruins, we saw that our colleagues were burned out, emotionally exhausted, and they help people. And if a person is devastated, how can he help others? Impossible. And we had this question: ‘What is more important to us: equipment or our employees?’ Our employees. And we used this money to organize two wonderful retreats for our employees. We also conducted training for them on burnout [prevention]. We hired a psychologist supervisor, an external person. And she worked with them, that’s all. And then we noticed how the psychological state of our employees improved. They started smiling again”.

What is clear from IMPACT's assessment is the importance of listening to these voices, as addressing their concerns means local organizations can better keep experienced staff, access reliable funding, and build stronger, more stable operations allowing them to provide consistent, effective support to people across Ukraine when it matters most.

Find the assessment in the first comment below.

🚨 REACH Alert: South Sudan & DRC

Recent public health rapid assessments have highlighted severe conditions in localized areas of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo—both already fragile contexts—underscoring the urgent need for large-scale expansion of health, nutrition, and sanitation services to prevent further loss of life.

• In Nyal Payam (Unity State, South Sudan) in February 2026, REACH teams conducted a small-scale public health rapid assessment in recently flood-affected communities. They assessed a crude mortality rate of 1.21 [95% CI: 0.694– 1.729] deaths per 10,000 people per day, indicating emergency-level conditions driven by preventable, non-traumatic causes, with diarrhea and dehydration accounting for a substantial proportion of deaths.

• In Aungba (Ituri Province, DRC), crude mortality rates were estimated at 0.77 [95% CI: 0.694– 1.729] deaths per 10,000 people per day, and an age-specific death rate for under-5-year-old children of 3.67 [95% CI: 1.96 – 5.37], very likely exceeding emergency thresholds. Large gaps in health and nutrition service provision likely contributed to the severity of the situation. This comes in a context of low vaccination coverage and prolonged disruption of nutrition services, and heightening vulnerability during the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

The results of these assessments are not standalone and represent the wider severity of public health conditions for many populations across South Sudan and DRC. The recent IPC AMN highlighted critical levels of acute malnutrition highlighted in the greater Unity state, and a novel Ebola outbreak originating in Ituri Province continues to expand.

In both contexts, immediate upscale of health, nutrition and sanitation services, integrated action is essential to prevent further loss of life and protect the most vulnerable.

Find more resources in the first comment below:

Who is best placed to define someone’s needs?

In a system facing growing humanitarian needs and shrinking resources, communities must be at the heart of how needs are understood, and acted upon.

This starts with the tools we use to collect data.

As part of a broader effort to reflect on its existing approaches, IMPACT Initiatives has spent the past few years exploring how to better assess the self-perceived needs of affected populations through the piloting of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s HESPER Scale (Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived Needs Scale) across more than eight crisis contexts since 2023. Focusing on 26 thematics, the HESPER scale enables households to report severe problems affecting various aspects of their lives.

In several contexts, communities’ defined priorities findings from this new tool have informed discussions with key stakeholders, helping challenge assumptions, reshape strategic conversations.

However, it is only one step forward on a much broader path that requires continuous consultation with affected communities, meaningful involvement of local partners in decision-making processes, and recognition of the solidarity systems that already support, or can help address, the challenges identified by communities.

🌐 To explore further on self-perceived needs and community challenges:

▪ Article "Rethinking Tools to Put Communities First": https://buff.ly/6KWRs3U

▪ “What is your most serious problem?” Lessons learned and reflections on the use of the HESPER Scale: https://buff.ly/8TabaOa

▪ “Who defines our needs” Aligning measured and perceived humanitarian needs: https://buff.ly/rVsozqC

▪ Read about the perception and measurement of humanitarian needs in Mali: https://buff.ly/E574aiQ

This project was supported by Sida - Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete.

🌍 Tchad I Trois jours de formation en cartographie pour les acteurs humanitaires

En avril, IMPACT, via le FONGIT et avec le soutien d’ Acted et de Concern Worldwide, a organisé et facilité une formation à N’djamena sur les Systèmes d’Information Géographique (SIG).

Pendant trois jours, nos collègues ont travaillé aux côtés d’acteurs humanitaires afin de renforcer leurs compétences et de les accompagner dans l’utilisation des méthodologies de télédétection, notamment à travers l’exploitation de données ouvertes, d’images satellites et d’outils SIG.

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🌍 Chad I Strengthening local capacities through GIS training

For three days, IMPACT, through FONGIT and with the support of ACTED and Concern Worldwide, brought together humanitarian workers in N’djamena for an intensive training on Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

From open-source data and satellite imagery to GIS tools and remote sensing methodologies, participants strengthened key skills to better analyze, understand, and respond to local contexts.

Caritas Suisse au Tchad; ID · Initiative Développement; International Rescue Committee; Première Urgence Internationale; Search for Common Ground; Socodevi; The Lutheran World Federation

📊 RCA | Une transition fragile et incertaine

Du fait d’une relative amélioration des conditions sécuritaires ces dernières années, la réponse à la crise en République Centrafricaine (RCA) est considérée comme en transition entre humanitaire et développement. Pourtant, les besoins humanitaires en RCA demeurent bien présents, alimentée par les conflits et l’insécurité au Nord-Ouest, le débordement du conflit soudanais au Nord-Est, ainsi que les déplacements internes de populations, exacerbés par les risques climatiques.

Ces chocs persistants maintiennent 2,3 millions de personnes en besoin d’assistance humanitaire selon le HNRP 2026, tandis que l’IPC 2025 estime à 2,25 millions le nombre de personnes en insécurité alimentaire. L’évaluation multisectorielle des besoins (MSNA) 2025, conduite par IMPACT à travers son initiative REACH, souligne que 42% des ménages dans le besoin avaient des besoins sévères.

Malgré cela, les financements humanitaires ont baissé de près de 70% entre 2020 et 2025. Ce sous-financement représente un risque structurel, susceptible de compromettre la transition entre humanitaire et développement, de fragiliser les acquis de ces dernières années et d’accroître la probabilité et la sévérité des chocs.

🌐 Brief: Une transition fragile et incertaine: https://buff.ly/EEz60YY
🌐 Résultats de la MSNA: https://buff.ly/dTYZBl5 et MSNI 2025: https://buff.ly/qCsiJK6
🌐 Resource Center: https://buff.ly/dn9cVx9
📩 Inscrivez-vous à la newsletter de la République Centrafricaine: https://buff.ly/9samLkH

Ce projet a bénéficié du financement de ECHO EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid

🌍 Mapping Climate Hazards Across Uganda’s Refugee-Hosting Districts

Uganda, host to one of Africa’s largest refugee populations, is facing increasingly unpredictable climate hazards, including floods and prolonged droughts. With significant impacts on shelters, agricultural productivity, and infrastructure, these climate risks are particularly acute in refugee-hosting sub-counties, where land, water, and services are already constrained.

To better inform climate-resilient and localized planning, IMPACT, thought its REACH initiative, has conducted Climate Hazard Assessments across refugee-hosting districts in the Northern/West Nile and Southwestern regions.

Geospatial and remote sensing analysis highlighted distinct climate patterns, hazard susceptibility, and exposure dynamics, underlining the need for targeted, context-specific action to strengthen resilience and preparedness.

🌐 Read latest article on Uganda Climate Hazard Assessments: https://buff.ly/JfRyzru
🌐 Explore the country's climate-related resources: https://buff.ly/KJXP06K

📩 Join Uganda newsletter to stay updated on publications from the country: https://buff.ly/gu5sFv5

These analyses were funded by Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - FCDO