A new report by Dialogue in Action, supported by ADRA Denmark and the DCA-NCA Joint Country Programme in Ukraine, highlights the indispensable role of faith-based actors in Ukraine’s wartime and post-war landscape. Based on interviews and fieldwork, the report highlights how religious communities are hybrid institutions, not only delivering humanitarian aid, but are also deeply engaged in peacebuilding, social cohesion, mental health support, public theology, and rights-based advocacy.
The report underscores that faith actors possess unique capacities, such as moral authority, deep community trust, and long-term presence, making them important connectors across urban, rural, and frontline communities. This position enables them to reach and support vulnerable populations in ways that secular actors often cannot.
Their contributions span from frontline humanitarian response (e.g. in Mykolayiv), to fostering reconciliation and shaping public discourse. Furthermore, their ability to address existential issues, moral trauma, and community reconciliation positions them as key actors in Ukraine’s humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus.
Yet, despite their potential, faith-based actors remain under-engaged by international donors and partners, as they have not sufficiently recognised nor supported their strategic value. Many faith actors face burnout, resource shortages, and institutional challenges, threatening their ability to sustain their vital work.
To ensure that these actors can continue leveraging their trusted presence and deep community ties in support of Ukraine’s recovery, the report offers the following strategic recommendations:
- Support localisation through joint strategy development and long-term planning rooted in Ukrainian faith-based actors’ own visions.
- Invest in further training for ministers and staff in trauma care, burnout prevention, and peacebuilding – delivered as coaching, not one-off trainings.
- Facilitate coordination platforms that are locally led but internationally supported, to improve collaboration and avoid duplication of efforts.
- Fund transitional programming from emergency aid to deeper psychosocial and spiritual work, including organisational development.
- Promote memory work and reconciliation through practices, e.g. dialogue, theology, and art, not as add-ons but as integral to recovery.
- Support youth and civic engagement by creating mentorship structures, dialogue spaces, and opportunities for leadership and international exchange.
- Integrate peacebuilding into humanitarian programming, especially through social cohesion and comprehensive case management.
FAITH-BASED ACTORS IN UKRAINE: MAPPING CONTRIBUTIONS, NEEDS, DIVIDES, AND GROWTH AREAS IN WARTIME