April 18, 2024
60,847 people evacuated from danger to date
179 people evacuated from danger this week
44 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories this week
Teams traveling to frontline regions observed that, in the past few weeks, it has become harder to get through checkpoints, and some villages are no longer reachable or have been taken by the enemy. Natalia Mitsuta - the first link in the Ukraine TrustChain - completed an epic trip to the Lyman region last week delivering aid to 13 destinations on the eastern frontline. She saw a lot on this trip, but her most haunting experience was Russian planes flying with impunity and launching three glide bombs towards Lyman, where she had been just an hour earlier.
It is heartrending to witness the daily destruction of Ukraine. Ukrainian volunteers and our entire community in the West are doing what we can to help ease the suffering caused by Russia’s vicious attacks. Since writing two weeks ago about the Match Drive sponsored by an anonymous Chicago foundation, we have achieved nearly 50% of our goal. We continue to keep this opportunity open, and are so grateful for and humbled by your support.
We would also like to join other organizations in urging you to contact your representatives to support Ukraine and provide much-needed ammunition for air defense.
Stories
Pomahaem Providing Targeted Help in Frontline Towns
Excerpt from the report by Olha. Dnipro-based volunteers traveled to Kramatorsk last week:
“Recently our mobile team spent one more day in Kramatorsk, delivering aid packages to 24 people with limited mobility and providing them with requested items, such as walkers, wheelchairs, etc. “
“It’s not easy to cover 24 homes. We were lucky that our driver Ruslan came from Kramatorsk and knows the city really well. At one point it took 20 minutes to find a home that wasn’t on Google maps. The person we were trying to reach was hearing-impaired and we couldn’t touch base with him via phone, but we found and helped him. Mission accomplished!”
“Every single multi-family home in Kramatorsk has been damaged… In spite of this, you feel how much people love their city. Streets are clean, trees and flowerbeds are taken care of. Ruslan did not hide his pride showing us beautiful murals by renowned artists.”
Operations in the Occupied Zone
400 families received aid in 5 towns in the occupied territories. A large group of people was moved away from the frontline zone into safer occupied territories, and 7 people were evacuated from the occupied left bank into unoccupied Ukraine.
This message is from Ihor with the Dobra Sprava team and his evacuation trip to Sloviansk:
“The enemy doesn't hesitate to target city centers with highly-destructive weaponry. Thankfully, this rocket landed on the roadway, not hitting the nearby multi-story building. Miraculously, there were no casualties, but the consequences are dreadful. “
“The most horrifying aspect is that this multi-story building had already suffered significant damage from enemy shelling, and the cleanup from the previous strike was nearing completion. The brickwork of two floors had been restored, the roof repaired, and many new windows installed. Then, another strike. The blast was so powerful that windows were blown out from the opposite side of the building that was being renovated. I was there personally, and we managed to provide help to the victims—15 blankets, 30 bottles of drinking water, and 17 flashlights (everything we had in stock), trying to support the people as best we could. It's just... sad and painful.”
“Still, once again I witnessed the unwavering resilience and patriotism of our people. After such an explosion and destruction, people are trying to restore our national symbols—a flag and a patriotic installation made from scraps of fabric.”
Agricultural Project Update
Last week, seed distributions ramped up to peak capacity. From Kharkiv to Zaporizhzhia, from Mykolaiv to Izyum, more than 10,000 families received seeds last year. In Zaporizhzhia, Sloviansk and Pokrovsk distributions were happening to the distant rumblings of explosions. Despite the uncertainty of the war, Ukrainians are even more determined to plant their gardens this year, both to prepare for the difficult winter ahead and as an act of defiance, asserting life against Russia’s murderous armies.
We extend our deepest gratitude to Sarah Maria Sander of Germany for raising money to support Ukraine TrustChain through a solo theatrical production she wrote and produced, called “Stimmen des Krieges - Voices of War.” It is a one-hour stage performance based on conversations with people from Ukraine and their diaries and letters, as well as video projections from cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv and other places all over Ukraine. If you happen to be in Germany, you can catch the next performance in Augsburg, Bavaria at the end of May. Thank you, Sarah Maria!
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
144 people evacuated during 15 trips to dangerous territories of Selydove, Kurakhove, Novohrodivka, Lyman, Mykolaiv, Slovyansk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka, Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, Kherson, Svyatohirs'k, Hrodivka, and Ocheretyne.
Inna’s Team – Krok z Nadiyeyu (“Step with Hope”)
Delivered 23.2 tons of aid.
12,500 people received aid.
Bread distributions went to 9,500 people.
Work in Kherson:
Exterminations in 7 buildings, disinfecting three buildings;
The team removed mold and cleaned a kindergarten;
25 equipment maintenance tasks completed;
Distributed aid in Kostyantynivka, Druzhkivka Kramatorsk, Ternuvate, Pokrovsk, Nikopol, Izyum, Hrakovo and Doslidne - all in deoccupied high-risk areas zones.
Organized free haircuts for Kostyantynivka residents.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): Oleksandr’s volunteer Andriy delivered food, clothing and hygiene products to 160 families in the Ostriv district of Kherson.
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 7 tons to Kherson.
Andriy P (Mykolaiv): brought 20 tons of aid from Chernivtsi to Mykolaiv and distributed it in Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipro and Ochakiv. Aid included apples, dry and canned goods, wheelchairs, walkers, medicine, medical and other clothing and footwear, mattresses, hygiene supplies, literature and accessories for mobile phones. Also delivered a minibus to Inna’s team.
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 2,000 people.
Yuri S (Vinnytsia): took part in the repair of a building for social and physical rehabilitation of the wounded in Vinnytsia. Delivered furniture and clothes to 70 people at a boarding house for the elderly and disabled in Plyskiv (Vinnytsia Region). Took 1 person with disabilities to rehabilitation.
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): in collaboration with Oleksandr D’s and Artiom S’s teams, delivered 3.5 tons of humanitarian kits, clothes, bread, medicine and food for abandoned animals to Shcherbynivka (Donetsk Region). Brought 2 tons of aid to Chasiv Yar. Vitaliy reports that the situation on the front lines is very hellish, with constant shelling and a lack of combat kits. There are many victims and wounded!
Artiom S (Hostomel): brought 6 tons of aid to the village of Levkiv (Zhytomyr Region). Work continues on the reconstruction of Katya’s house, one of Artiom’s volunteers who is disabled and uses a wheelchair. Katya lives with her mother and pets in a house that had fallen into disrepair due to lack of funds.
Oksana K (Lutsk): bought 150-200 kg of supplies for making sweets in Ulyanyky (Kyiv Region). Distributed diapers for bedridden patients while there. Brought 500 kg of corn and green peas from Warsaw. Sent 38 kg worth of packages with food and hygiene to the Kherson area, 30 kg to the Zhytomyr Region and 50-60 kg to volunteer Stanislav for distribution in Lutsk.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): held 4 art therapy sessions in Lutsk and 1 session in Ozertse (Volyn Region) for a total of 87 internally displaced (IDP) children, children with disabilities, children from large families and from military families. An additional 143 children from large families attended theater outings, went on vacation outside the city and received glasses.
NGO Angelia
Delivered 1,500 kg of used bicycles, used clothing, used household appliances and menstrual supplies from Mamaivtsi (Chernivtsi Region) to Talne (Cherkasy Region) and Kyiv.
Brought 2,100 kg of home appliances, electrical hospital bed, menstrual supplies, heating stoves, clothes, shoes and bicycles from Germany (Möckern, Schwalmstadt, Bad Brückenau, Bad Bergzabern) to Mamaivtsi.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh (“Left Bank”)
2 roofs finished last week in Slatyne.
Svitlana reached 190 people in Kherson and Posad-Pokrovsk.
Darya, based in Kharkiv, delivered 86 packages to Kutkivka.
Through Darya we provided aid to 9 families in Dvorichna - one of the deadliest segments of the eastern frontline.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch (“Help is Near”)
Distributed 300 aid packages in the frontline village of Sadove, Kherson region.
“Help is Near”
Certificate of Honor
Timur’s Team – Timur i ego komanda (“Timur and Team”)
Distributed aid packages to 200 people in Saltivka.
Delivered 200 packages to people in the Kharkiv region and another 40 to families with children.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams - (“Touch of Heart” and “Dawn of Hope”)
Aid distributed to 1,946 people.
3 tons of water delivered to Novopavlivske and Promin’.
Seeds and miscellaneous aid were delivered to 221 families in Yur’ivka and Shevchenkove.
Organized a celebration for children in Mykolaiv and distributed toys and children's clothing in Yur’ivka.
Kirill, Marina, Andriy - BF Pomahaem (“We Help”)
3 trips providing targeted aid in frontline areas. Aid was delivered to Myrnohrad, Shevchenkove and Kramatorsk. 70 families received aid.
3 trips assisting with cash-aid vetting and distribution in Kharkiv frontline areas.
9 tons of water delivered to Marhanets.
Part of the team went through a one-week emergency response and tactical training.
Natalia’s Team - Vyshnia Volunteer Center
Tetyana, based in Kryvyi Rih, delivered 210 packages to Lyubymivka in the Kherson region.
Natalia traveled east again delivering 300 packages to 13 villages around Lyman.
Marina’s Team – Give Good Ukraine
Distributed 735 hygiene kits for displaced women who suffered from war and live in the territory of two communities.
150 families received aid in Zhovti Vody.
Dina’s Team - Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina (“Free People - Free Country”)
Distributed 380 packages at usual distribution centers.
Bogdan’s Team - Vse robymo sami (“We do everything ourselves”)
Children's public organization "We do it ourselves" donated medical materials for Zhytomyr Regional Hospital and Zhytomyr City Hospital.
42 families received aid.
How to Help
Donate - The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
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Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
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