Part 2: Find out what Drives the People Behind USAID’s Ukraine Humanitarian Response
On February 24, 2022, USAID immediately deployed an elite Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to address growing needs stemming from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine.
The DART, made up of more than 30 disaster experts from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, has worked in five countries to lead the U.S. humanitarian response to the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. For the past seven weeks, the DART has been identifying critical needs, conducting up-to-the minute humanitarian assessments, and quickly ramping up aid for affected communities.
In the second of a two-part series, we wanted to introduce you to three additional members of our DART, who have put their own lives on hold to save others thousands of miles away from home.
Read part one of the series here.
Emily Gish, Deputy Leader for Planning
The needs throughout Ukraine are vast, and there are a number of aid organizations rushing to help. Emily oversees the team who assesses humanitarian needs and figures out which humanitarian organization can best meet them. Through her work, the Kentucky native is ensuring that the DART can address immediate and long-term needs to help people most affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Q: What is your role on the DART?
“I lead the section that is responsible for developing the USAID response strategy for the emergency, projecting the resources required to meet the identified needs, and working with and supporting partners to implement the strategy.”
Q: What has been your most memorable moment so far?
“It has been really memorable to see such a large outpouring of support from all over the world. To be able to be a part of this support on behalf of the American people is an honor.”
Q: What motivates you?
“I’m always motivated by the mission of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to save lives and alleviate suffering. In this response, these needs are so immense and urgent that I felt it was important to come and try to do what I can to help.”
Q: What do you want to accomplish on this response?
“I’m hoping that I can contribute by bringing a bit of order to some of the chaos that often happens in the early days of a response. For me, this means supporting key partners to scale up their responses to meet these new massive needs while also helping to ensure that the common services like information, analysis, logistics and other support services are in place in order to more effectively respond to the needs on the ground.”
Samantha Croffut, Program Officer
Samantha, a Seattle native, spends much of her days working with humanitarian organizations to find ways to ensure much-needed assistance can reach communities affected most by this war. A Returned Peace Corps Volunteer of Niger and South Africa, this is Samantha’s first time working in eastern Europe.
Q: What is your role on the DART?
“My role as the DART’s Program Officer is to discuss opportunities with UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO) to fund impactful programs that meet the humanitarian needs of people in Ukraine and then manage the oversight of the programs we fund.”
Q: What has been your most memorable moment so far?
Q: What motivates you?
“Hearing directly from the people in Ukraine and knowing that we are uniquely equipped as a humanitarian bureau to support an effective response.”
Q: What do you want to accomplish on this response?
“Prioritize funding for and effectively manage programs that are meeting the evolving humanitarian needs in Ukraine, lay the groundwork that allows our programming team to work as efficiently as possible, and implement supportive systems that promote the well-being of our staff.”
Lauren Propst, Administrative Coordinator
Lauren ensures the DART has what it needs to execute its mission throughout the region. The Honesdale, Pa., native was just in Poland a few months ago as a tourist — but this time, she is acting as the backbone of the team responding to Europe’s fastest migration crisis in decades.
Q: What is your role on the DART?
“As the Administrative Coordinator, I manage in-country travel, procurement, and administration for the DART. I make sure that people are in the right place at the right time to support the mission.”
Q: What has been your most memorable moment so far?
“Stepping off the train in Poland and seeing my first welcome center. It fortified my resolve that my team is helping real people in dire situations every day.”
Q: What do you want to accomplish on this response?
“I hope to contribute my time and effort towards no longer needing humanitarian support for the people of Ukraine.”
Q: What motivates you?
The United States is the largest humanitarian donor to Ukraine, providing nearly $302 million in humanitarian assistance, including nearly $90 million from USAID. For ways you could help the Ukrainian people during their time of need, please visit the Center for International Disaster Information’s Ukraine response webpage.
Get more information on USAID’s response to the war in Ukraine.
Follow USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for updates.
Staff Portraits: Scott Fontaine/USAID
Graphics: Mardri Gaston-Williams/USAID
