Press centre
Resources for journalists and newsrooms writing about the "Hands of Friends" foundation: facts, figures, ready-to-use wording and a contact for comment.
Press contact
This is the foundation's general contact, not a dedicated press office: no individual media contact person has been assigned yet. For requests for comment, interviews with the leadership or additional materials, write to this address and the foundation will route the request internally.
About the foundation in brief
Long version
The "Hands of Friends" foundation - registered as Благодійна організація «Міжнародний благодійний фонд «Руки друзів»», EDRPOU 40105032 - is a humanitarian organization from Kramatorsk. It grew out of the volunteer initiative "SOS-Kramatorsk" (2014), was registered in 2015, and has been a UNICEF implementing partner since 2016. It runs humanitarian and recovery projects mainly through communities, schools, hospitals and social services in war-affected and front-line regions; support for people is delivered within specific programmes.
Short version (one sentence)
"Hands of Friends" is a humanitarian foundation from Kramatorsk, a UNICEF partner since 2016, that rebuilds schools and shelters and supports communities affected by the war.
The full organisational profile - history, governance, team and documents - is on the About page.
Key facts
- Full name (registered Ukrainian name)
- Благодійна організація «Міжнародний благодійний фонд «Руки друзів»». The English legal name is ICF "Friends' Hands" (per the OCHA CBPF record); "Hands of Friends" is the display brand name, not the legal name.
- EDRPOU
- 40105032 · registered 05.11.2015 · non-profit status since 26.04.2017
- Founding
- from the "SOS-Kramatorsk" initiative, 2014
- UNICEF implementing partner
- since 2016
- Base
- Kramatorsk (Donetsk oblast)
- Operating model
- mainly through communities, schools, hospitals and social services; support for people runs within programmes
- Donors and partners
- UNICEF - donor, since 2016; Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF/OCHA) - donor, 2023–2026; International Organization for Migration (IOM) - donor, 2022–2023; Plan International - donor, 2022–2026; BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) - funder, 2023–2026; Choose Love, Inc. (USA) - donor, 2022–2023; ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, France) - donor, 2022; Ukrainian NGO Fund (National Network for Local Philanthropy Development) - donor, 2025; Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) - funder, 2025; Start Network - funder, 2025
- Recognition
- listed in the "TOP-100+ largest charitable foundations of Ukraine - 2026" ranking (Ukrainian Association of Philanthropists)
All impact figures come with a period and a source on the Our impact and Reporting pages.
Figures ready to quote
Each figure covers one programme over one period and is printed on a named page of the foundation's annual report. Below are the records you can check them against.
The full list of figures with period, definition and source is on the Our impact page. Every figure belongs to a specific project: all the foundation's projects.
Logo & style
Official foundation logo for press coverage and partner publications.
Fonts: Montserrat Alternates (headings), Inter (body text).
Photographs of the foundation's work
Image rights and the consents of the people shown - the photographs and the rights to them. The material has not been provided yet.These are not approved press materials: the foundation has not yet confirmed authorship or the rights to these photographs, so we do not offer them for reuse. To arrange a publication, write to the press address. When publishing photos, please preserve people's dignity: some faces of field staff are hidden for safety in front-line communities.
In the media
- Ukrainian Association of Philanthropists
"TOP-100+ largest charitable foundations of Ukraine - 2026"
- Anti-Crisis Media Centre (ACMC)
Foundation profile (with video)
- VITAA TV channel
"The foundation relocated from Kramatorsk to Bar"
- Radio Misto nad Buhom
"We are near: Hands of Friends"
- Plan International
Video about the foundation's work (2024)
- Kramatorsk City Council
Support for Kramatorsk residents affected by shelling (2025)
- Dobrovelychkivka community
Aid to the Dobrovelychkivka community (2023)
The foundation's own reports on these same events are in News.