August 15th, 2024
63,866 people evacuated from danger to date
199 people evacuated from danger this week
40 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
Our American friends reach out to ask us about the implications of the Kursk incursion for Ukraine. Of course, along with everyone, we are eagerly watching this situation, hoping that it will contribute to the restoration of justice — that it will help Ukraine repel Russia’s brutal attack on its sovereignty.
Yet, these events have had little impact on the day-to-day work of our volunteers. Our biggest pain points remain Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Pokrovsk, where the Russian offensive is forcing more people to evacuate and seek help from government and volunteer organizations in major cities. We are proud to continue supporting this life-saving work.
Stories
Aborted Evacuation in Chasiv Yar
Oleksandr D’s volunteer Vitalyi and his fearless team made a very risky trip to Chasiv Yar, mainly to evacuate people who had asked to leave. Vitalyi reports:
On August 8th, there was a desperate trip to the very hell of Donbas – the fortress town of Chasiv Yar… Almost 200 local people [still live] there, but the situation is extremely dangerous. There are many drones in the sky, and it's unclear which ones belong to whom. There are no locals or military personnel on the streets. Anyone who comes into view of aerial reconnaissance is subject to being fired upon, one way or another…
We arrived at the usual place where we always meet people, but no one was there. We found the local group coordinator in her basement with a few of her neighbors. It turned out that [the residents who had asked to be evacuated] were now refusing to leave because some people had been killed in a shelling that morning. [Instead, the group] asked us to leave the aid where we always do…
While unloading, we were spotted by a reconnaissance UAV [drone], which rose and hovered above us. Three minutes later, an FPV drone with a payload also rose from the same spot and hovered over us, but then it flew further. About 300 meters away we heard a powerful explosion. We were relieved to realize that it had been a friendly drone and [to find] that we remained alive and unharmed.
People did not come out for evacuation, and we couldn't wait any longer, so we fled from the spot. The situation in Chasiv Yar is very dangerous, and providing aid and evacuation is almost impossible now.
Psychological Support for Ukrainians in Wartime
We’ve worked with Inna Kampen and her organization Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope) since the first months of the war, completing many large projects, providing firewood, assisting Ukrainians during planting seasons, and more. Week-to-week our support provides flexible funds that enable Inna to run a large logistical network, distributing 20+ tons of aid weekly to more than 50 towns, many of which sit in frontline areas.
However, Inna’s team also seeks additional grants from other organizations, which allow them to branch out further in their work. For example, we were impressed to learn about the depth and professionalism Krok z nadiyeyu brings to supporting the psychological health of communities where they operate. Inna’s team conducts weekly sessions in dozens of locations, helping people process trauma, find employment, improve their communication with children, and manage the terrible stress of wartime living. In Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson and other places, Krok z nadiyeyu also organizes camps and activities for kids that take place while their parents are receiving aid packages or participating in support sessions.
Last week Inna brought together all of the volunteers involved in this noble effort. There were 36 of them! Many of them are also drivers who deliver aid to frontline communities. We are proud to continue to partner with Inna and support her work with direct grants, as well as indirectly by freeing up her team’s resources for new missions.
Operations in Occupied Territories
170 aid packages were delivered in occupied cities in Russian-controlled territories. 19 people were evacuated from the Russian-occupied left bank, and one person tried to leave but was turned back at the border. Four abandoned dogs were also evacuated to new families in unoccupied Ukraine.
Increased Water Deliveries to Nikopol
During the heat wave suffered across Ukraine this summer, the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Region has experienced an incredible demand for clean water. Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation) responded with one of its most successful recent projects. Noticing that the barrels installed at 10 locations throughout the city were emptying in less than two days after being refilled, the team now transports 21 tons of water every week. These deliveries continue like clockwork, despite the fact that Nikopol suffers daily from Russia’s shelling and drone attacks.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
19 trips and 178 people evacuated this week from Toretsk, Novohrodivka, Kurakhovo, Selydove, Lyman, Kostyantynivka, Myrnohrad, and Pokrovsk areas.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
20.1 tons of aid delivered to 8,200 people.
9,500 people received bread.
Kherson efforts:
Performed exterminations in 24 buildings.
Completed 24 equipment maintenance tasks.
2 people evacuated from Pokrovsk.
Organized help for recent evacuees from the Pokrovsk area in Dnipropetrovsk Region.
Delivered aid to 75 people in remote Shevchenkovo village near Nikopol.
Angelia Charitable Fund
Brought 1,850 kg of canned goods, power bars, other food products, antiseptic, medical accessories, medical bedside tables, and used clothing from Germany to Chernivtsi.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 7 tons of water to Kherson.
Andriy P (Mykolaiv): delivered a total of 15 tons of aid from Chernivtsi to the internally displaced (IDP) center of the Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope) team in Kharkiv and to the settlement of Vasyshcheve near Kharkiv. The aid included a bread baking oven (for making 200 loaves of bread at a time, which will be used for charitable purposes), oven equipment, 50 mattresses, 50 boxes of clothes, bedding, canned goods, and hygiene items.
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 1,200 people.
Yuri S (Vinnytsia): brought apricots and olive oil to a children's boarding school in Stryzhavka, and about 150 kg of clothes to the boarding school in Voronovytsia (both in Vinnytsia Region).
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): delivered 2 tons of clothes, medicine, aid packages, and animal feed to Chasiv Yar (Donetsk Region). The primary intention of the trip was to evacuate people but this proved impossible because of the level of danger from enemy attack. The team also delivered 2 tons of aid near Kupiansk (Kharkiv Region).
Pavlo B (Zaporizhzhia): brought mattresses, medicines, crutches, walkers, shoes, clothes, and diapers for more than 100 people in Matviivka and medical equipment and shoes for over 100 people in Vilniansk. Distributed mattresses, medical assistance, sweets, and clothes to 50 IDPs in Berdiansk (all are in Zaporizhzhia Region). Brought mattresses to Kupiansk.
Oksana K (Lutsk): brought instant soup from Błoń, Poland. Sent about 360 kg of parcels to various parts of Ukraine. Donated backpacks and goodies to a large family with children with disabilities. Delivered 400 kg of canned food and vegetable mix to eastern Ukraine.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions for IDP children, children with disabilities, orphans and other disadvantaged children:
Offered art therapy to 80 children (total of 2 art therapy sessions held).
Provided 80 physical therapy sessions.
Provided various assistance to 38 orphaned children.
Helped 240 IDP children with bread and other food.
Kseniia’s Team – Livyj bereh (Left Bank)
Darya delivered aid to 81 people in villages around Kupiansk: Kindrashivka, Kutkivka, Kasyanivka, and Monachynivka.
Svitlana delivered 132 packages to people in Kherson and Pryozerne.
Helped a hospital in Odesa and 3 people directly.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
110 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team – Dopomoha poruch (Help Is Near)
Distributed 200 aid packages with food and hygiene products in villages of Krutoyarivka and Myrnohrad, near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region.
Timur’s Team – Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Distributed aid to 413 people in Saltivka, Kharkiv.
Special home deliveries to 18 elderly with disabilities and 34 families with infants.
Timur seems to have a mild case of walking pneumonia and is recovering this week.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams – Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) & Svitanok mriy (Dawn of Dreams)
1,479 people received aid through the Mykolaiv office.
Delivered 165 aid packages to Novohryhorivka and Lubomyrivka in deoccupied Mykolaiv Region.
3 tons of water delivered to Novohryhorivka and Novopavlivske.
Distributed aid to 60 low-income families around Kherson.
Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation)
511 packages delivered to Komar village in Donbas.
256 packages delivered to Shevchenkove in the Kharkiv Region.
21 tons of water delivered to Nikopol.
85 people vetted for cash aid recipients.
Marina’s Team – Daruy dobro Ukrayina (Give Good Ukraine)
150 packages distributed in Zhovty Vody.
Dina’s Team – Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
360 packages distributed in Kremenchuk, Kanev, Poltava, and Krasnokutsk.
44 packages distributed in Dnipro to newly evacuated people from Pokrovsk and Toretsk areas.
Bohdan’s Team – Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
42 families received food and hygiene kits in Zhytomyr.
Children continued to learn to cook and play psychological relief games at the club for children with disabilities. They also visited a symphony orchestra performance
How to Help
Donate — The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
Fundraise — Organize fundraisers at your school, work, place of worship, with friends and family, etc.
Spread the word — Share our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
Download and print our flyer. Ask your local coffee shop if you can add it to the bulletin, or use it as part of your fundraiser.