April 20, 2023
50,303 people evacuated from danger to date
209 people evacuated from danger this week
28 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories
Ukraine celebrated its second Orthodox Easter in war this weekend. Many of our teams were celebrating this day with their families and other Orthodox believers in Ukraine. Alena sent us messages and talked to us while standing in a large crowd near a small church in Odesa. Andriy said the church in his village had never seen as many visitors as came in on this day.
Many of our teams have been distributing traditional Easter cakes called “paski” as part of their aid packages. On Sunday our US volunteers met with Timur, one of the team leaders on zoom. Though Timur does not personally celebrate Easter, he said it was important for him to show solidarity and love to the many Ukrainians who rely on him for aid and moral support. He had been up since 5AM distributing holiday aid packages, each including an Easter paska. Our volunteers from Kherson made trips to nearby villages that suffer from daily bombings, delivering Easter cakes to residents there. Our volunteers from Kryvii Rih even managed to deliver eggs - another traditional Easter item - to the Kherson region village they support, a logistical feat given the state of the roads there.
Meanwhile, Russia bombed a residential building in Sloviansk in the Donetsk Oblast, killing 11 people and injuring many others. Unfortunately, we are no longer surprised by Russia’s senseless murdering of civilians on holidays, this seems to be part of the strategy to try and keep people of Ukraine scared and anxious. But perhaps, it is these crimes, and Ukraine’s resistance against tyranny, which made the symbolism of this holiday so powerful this year, so full of hope for victory for the triumph of good over evil.
Ukraine Team Milestones
Ihor’s Team — Dobra Sprava “Good Cause”
Dobra Sprava made 12 trips into unoccupied territories this past week and evacuated 164 people. Ihor says this week was a slower one for evacuations, perhaps because of the holiday.
One story stands out that the team wanted to share with our donors. It is about 62-year old Serhiy M, who had lived in Bakhmut his entire life. Serhiy was born with a hand disability and uses tweezers to perform daily tasks. The drivers could scarcely believe how efficient he is with his tweezers, as they watched him use them to light and smoke a cigarette. For many months, Sergiy’s family and neighbors had been unable to persuade him to evacuate. He said, “I was born here, and I will die here.” He had never traveled outside of Bakhmut.
But when two rockets landed right outside his house, he realized he could no longer stay there. Since February, he has been hiding in a basement of a building near what used to be the children’s hospital. Volunteers are no longer allowed to enter Bakhmut, but with incredible luck, Sergiy and others hiding in the basement with him for three months were found by the special police forces called White Angels whose job is search and rescue in the immediate fighting areas.
Sergiy says that when he saw their ambulance, he forgot all of his concerns about leaving for the unknown or never seeing his city again – he just wanted to live.
The White Angels brought Sergiy and the others (including a child) to Konstantynovka where Dobra Sprava picked him up and drove him to Dnipro. They said he was in a state of shock, wearing two coats and saying only that he’s cold and how quiet it is. It was only when they approached Dnipro that he started telling them his story.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh
Two more family homes in Slatyne village were restored by Livyj Bereh. An elderly couple resides in one house, and the other is a home for a family with children. Both buildings were destroyed by the shelling, but now they have new roofs.
Kherson volunteers, Svitlana and Olha, whom we support through Kseniia, conducted two distributions in Kherson. The main project this week was to distribute paski, traditional Easter cakes, in Kherson and in the villages of Komyshany, Pryozerne, Bilozerka. Kherson suffered some of the worst shelling last week which disrupted the work of local stores on Sunday, but the volunteers were back this week preparing for additional aid distributions.
Anastasia’s Team
Right at the turn of the week Anastasia traveled to the deoccupied villages east of Kupyansk, miles away from the frontline. They visited the villages of Sinkove, Kivsharivka and Novoosynove delivering 300 packages. Each village's situation is different. In Sinkovo, for example, residents constantly hear the artillery barrages, but the village, at least its center, remains largely intact. Anastasia made sure the packages were delivered to families with kids and the elderly. Paradoxically, because of social security payments, elderly people are relatively better off financially from their pensions. People of working age suffer from rampant unemployment with all factories and businesses destroyed in the war. Planting their gardens often remains the only meaningful activity. As the battles escalate, fewer organizations are able to travel into those areas and local residents shared that the aid has become infrequent, but eagerly awaited.
In addition to food, Anastasia’s team brought in cleaning products. One member of their team also brings in Ukrainian literature for local libraries. As we reported in our previous newsletters, in the occupied territories, Russia is intentionally destroying books in the Ukrainian language.
Inna’s Team - Krok z Nadiyeyu
We were relieved this week when Inna’s team reported that though they continue delivering aid to the most dangerous areas in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, last week deliveries were uneventful and without a hitch.
The aid was delivered to Mykolayivka and Druzhkovka, and small towns around Kramatorsk, Dobropillia, Troitske, Konstantynivka. There were additional trips to Kupiansk and towns of Berislav and Kosheve village in the Kherson region.
Overall 7,850 families received aid packages, and 11,000 received bread.
Meanwhile our agrarian project continues, with 500 more seed packets distributed to vetted recipients as well as 100 tons of potatoes for planting.
Natasha’s Team - Vysnia Volunteer Center
Tetiana and Andriy Pasenko, based in Kryvii Rih, delivered aid to 75 families in the village of Nova Osokorivka. As usual, in addition to food, they brought seeds, potatoes and onions for planting. Because this trip happened a day before Easter, there was a special delivery this time. Tetiana managed to deliver eggs into the village. Coloring eggs for Easter, or making “pysanky,” is an iconic Ukrainian tradition. The village no longer has chicken, and the gesture symbolized the care and thoughtfulness that our volunteers bring into the process of delivering aid.
Meanwhile Natalia completed another trip to the deoccupied area east of Lyman. They visited two new villages: Kryva Luka and Zakitne. Few families stay in those areas; in all of Kryva Luka, only 87 families remain. People are returning to the area and are starting to fix their homes.
Pavel’s Team — Touch of Heart and Dawn of Hope
Pavel’s Mykolayiv headquarters continued to transport packages and distribute aid. The exact number was not available at the time of writing this report, and we hope to fill it in next week.
While families come to receive aid, the Mykolayiv office has a room for children where volunteers play with them, give them activities to complete before the next visit. One child last week came from Kherson, where she and her family had lived since the beginning of the war and finally were evacuated. Though she was shy and scared of the shellings she witnessed, she promised to come back with her sister.
Pavel’s team evacuated a family of 8 from Kropyvnytskyi - (Kirovograd region) to Poland's border.
Oleksandr’s Volunteer Network
Tatyana P’s, based in Lutsk, heads a new team in Oleksandr’s network. This team operates three cars, two buses, and one ambulance and helps in the east. This week’s trip was to help bedridden patients and pensioners in the Donetsk Region and included a stop on the outskirts of ravaged and wartorn Bakhmut.
Fortunately, the team arrived at a relatively quiet time and place, but the sounds of fighting were ever-present and the military provided escort. Here Tatyana’s team performed the physically and emotionally exhausting work of tending to one bedridden patient after another, meeting with tears in one house after another. While the doctors worked, part of the team distributed food kits, diapers, wheelchairs and other aid. In total, Tatyana’s trip provided for approximately 230 elderly, sick and people with disabilities in the Donetsk Region.
Oleksandr S’ team of Boyarka delivered one ton of groceries and seeds for sowing to elderly residents in the border towns of the Chernihiv Region, which are under constant shelling. A truckload with 20 tons of groceries was also delivered to Shostka in the Sumy Region.
Oleksandr M’s NGO My V Doma (We Are Home) took bags of cocoa, 550 kg of white and dark chocolate, cappuccino, energy drinks, protein bars, chips, Coca-Cola, sleeping bags, medical and hygiene products to Kharkiv and to the Donetsk Region locations of Lyman, Chasovy Yar, Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk. The team also made personal deliveries to families whose husbands are at the front and provided emotional and financial support to foster families of children who have lost parents or whose parents are psychologically unable to care for them. These children also received some chocolate and cocoa.
Yury S of Vinnitsa took 500 kg of clothes as well as one pensioner to a boarding school serving as a shelter in the town of Bar (Vinnitsa Region). About 50 kg of products were also brought to a boarding school in Plyskiv and a disabled internally displaced person (IDP) from the Luhansk Region was taken from this boarding school to Poland. Yury’s team has also been helping IDP pensioners and disabled people fill out paperwork for necessary documents.
Oksana K from Lutsk delivered diapers and grocery sets to 17 families with children with disabilities, as well as to two military personnel. Medicine, a car-full of groceries and three minibusses of cereal grains were delivered to Kupyansk. 20 infusion pumps and other medical supplies and humanitarian aid were also delivered to the infectious disease and regional hospitals in Kherson.
Vladyslav K’s team brought 28 tons of water to Mykolaiv and distributed food kits to 200 IDPs. Sandra S’ kitchen in Odesa fed more than 900 people this week. Most of these are IDPs who stayed in Odesa but don’t have means of preparing hot food. Andriy P’s team of Chernivtsi brought 5,060 kg of canned goods and new clothes as well as personal deliveries for IDPs from Germany to the Mykolaiv and Kherson Regions. 22 tons of groceries were also delivered to Slovyansk.
Oleksandr Z’s NGO Zirka Nadiyi (Star of Hope) in Lutsk offered two art therapy workshops for children with cerebral palsy and IDPs. These workshops help children develop fine motor skills and imagination. Candle making art therapy was conducted for six children of IDPs. Six children with disabilities and children of IDPs also participated in music lessons, introducing them to various musical instruments and Ukrainian songs. Finally, the center provided 46 eyeglasses and 53 sunglasses to the Manevytska Correctional Colony and to IDPs in Manevychi and Lutsk.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch
Tetiana’s team distributed aid to 246 internally displaced families in Smila. In addition to that, Tetiana brought food to the orphanage in Korsun'-Shevchenkivs'kyi, distributed food packages to 50 elderly and residents with disabilities in Smila via the department of social services, and delivered 15 packages to residents with greatest need in the village of Polovynchyk.
Karina’s Team - We Save Dnipro
This week Karina’s team evacuated 37 people from Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Chasov Yar, and Druzhkovka. There are currently 103 people living in the shelter and two siamese cats. Those living in the shelter were visited by medical volunteers who attended to some residents’ concerns and a children’s psychologist who regularly visits to help children cope with trauma.
The shelter hosted an Easter celebration for the residents, complete with traditional Paski cakes.
Alena’s Team - Virgo Volunteer Center
This week Alena and her team traveled to the villages in the Kherson region to bring aid and some holiday cheer. They brought 700 Easter cakes called Paski to Kisilevka, Pervomaysk, and Maksymovka. These are the same three towns that they visited a month ago, but they were surprised to find how many people have returned to their homes in the course of this month. In Pervomaysk alone, there are now over 1,000 people, and the volunteers did not have enough Paski for every family. They did have other food and hygiene products with them, so no one left empty-handed and residents expressed gratitude and joy.
The army is working on demining this region, but unfortunately it is slow work, and the villagers are not yet able to start planting crops for the season. Instead, people are trying to fix the destroyed and damaged homes. To that end, Alena set up everything for the window installation crew and the work is set to start this week.
Angelia - Mobile Clinic
On April 6th and 7th the mobile clinic traveled to Sumy. This regional center with a population of 250,000 people had been under occupation with battles taking place inside the city. Many residents have evacuated and currently live in western Ukraine, or abroad. Because Sumy’s close proximity to border with Russia (25-30 miles), the city still follows a blackout regimen on the streets, even after de-occupation.
The clinic included a family doctor, a gynecologist, an ENT, ECG, and testing facilities for blood, urine and sugar. 200 patients received 546 services. Among these one patient had undiagnosed diabetes and another an undiagnosed stage II gynecological cancer. A third had undiagnosed cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis. A woman also came to consult the doctor about her son who had fallen out of a third-story window, breaking his legs and injuring his head.
Marina’s Team — Good Give Ukraine
Social workers aided Marina in distributing 150 food kits to elderly and people with disabilities in the Pyatikhatky region. Marina’s team also visited people in the local hospitals for Easter celebrations with gifts and pastries, baked and donated by local residents.
Andriy’s Team - BF Pomahaem
80 people live in Andriy’s shelter in the village of Volos’ke near Dnipro.
Andriy’s team took a break for the Easter holiday though his rehabilitation center continued to run, providing services to children with disabilities. The other important mission was to take 18 recent evacuees (9 adults and 9 children) to the guided geo tour to explore the local area famous for its nature and history.
Timur’s Team – Timur and Team
The team focused on Kamianka and Kivsharivka. They made several deliveries into Kamianka where, in addition to hygienic items and food, they brought a number of barrels for water storage and transport. In this area, the infrastructure is damaged and likely will not be repaired until the Russian army is pushed far away. On several trips to Kivsharivka, they delivered over 300 hygiene sets each time. With the Orthodox Easter being a special time in Ukraine, the team tried to bring a little joy for people in difficult circumstances. They delivered over 500 Paski and extra treats for the children.
Dina’s Team - Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina
The distribution centers continue their work, handing out 1,050 food packages this week and sending 25 more to a refugee shelter.
Bogdan - Vse robymo sami
Bogdan’s organization distributed over 350 food packages and Easter baskets for all of the children under their care.
TVs, dryers, furniture for bathrooms and showers have been gifted to their inclusive recovery center "House of Joy" which is currently being constructed and will be installed shortly.
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