Inspired by this, a Ukrainian priest, Father Yuriy Nagorny, resolved to establish Catholic charitable initiatives in Ukraine.

During this period, charitable activities persisted through parish Caritas groups, managed by local priests, with Father Yuriy Nagorny continuing to lead the overall initiative.

However, due to issues with corruption and increasing legislative restrictions stemming from lingering communist-era mentalities, foreign benefactors began reducing their support.

Despite these challenges, small groups of children continued to benefit from rehabilitation programmes in Ukraine, where Caritas-Spes rented sanatoriums and rest homes for their care.

[6] Through donations from international benefactors, including Caritas organisations in Germany, Austria, and France, as well as the Catholic charity Renovabis, Caritas-Spes was able to expand its activities.

It was subsequently registered on 24 September 1996 by the State Committee for Religious Affairs, with Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk appointed as its head.

[8][9] On the night of September 18–19, 2023, a Caritas-Spes warehouse in the Lviv area storing humanitarian aid was destroyed by Russian bombing, resulting in the loss of 300 tons of relief supplies.

[6][14] From its inception, Caritas-Spes has focused on improving the lives of vulnerable children by sending them to health resorts in Ukraine or hospitals abroad.

In the first six months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine alone, from February to July 2022, the organisation provided assistance to over 1.7 million people, including shelter, food, water, medicine, hygiene items, and targeted WASH programmes.