December 7, 2023
57,817 people evacuated from danger to date
163 people evacuated from danger this week
36 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories
We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and the influx of donations we received following the Giving Tuesday Match Drive. As we announced in the last newsletter, several generous donors stepped up as sponsors of the Match Drive. We are excited to share that, thanks to your generosity, we have reached and surpassed the matching amount. Your warm support will help thousands in Ukraine during this cold winter. If you haven’t done so already, we ask you to consider Ukraine TrustChain for your year end giving plans.
These donations were particularly timely this week as Ukraine celebrated the International Volunteer Day. While in the past this date was but a rarely mentioned formality, the war in Ukraine has infused it with new powerful meaning. International Volunteer Day was celebrated in Ukraine, by the millions of people who’ve been helped by Ukrainian volunteers. Pavel, Anastasia, and Marina have received official letters of gratitude and awards from their local government officials.
But the award ceremonies took up a small portion of the week. Our teams continue to focus on complex large-scale projects, delivering aid and firewood into remote areas, as well as preparing for the children’s celebration on St. Nicholas Day, also happening this week, that we hope to tell more about in the next newsletter.
Stories
Inna’s Team Returns with Aid after Firewood Deliveries
“This week we brought food to the Izyum region near Kharkiv. We delivered firewood, but after our visit, we understood that people there live without light, gas, or water, and really need help. We found out that there was a severe shortage of gasoline for generators and no means of transportation to get it. People have generators, but they can’t fuel them. We talked to a gas station attendants and they agreed to help us, letting us pour 200 liters of gasoline into 5 liter bottles.
We took these bottles to people’s homes – two bottles each. In some cases we had to carry them because the roads were all shot up and muddy, so we couldn’t pass without risking hitting a mine.
We reached Kamyshuvaha at night, but people were waiting for us and came to meet us. They told us the story that before the war almost every household had a cow, but one day during the occupation 20 cows went in the wrong direction into the meadows and got blown up on landmines. People were left without cows, without milk - and that was a key source of food at the time.”
Help in the Occupied Territories
Eight people, most of them with disabilities, were evacuated from the Russian-occupied left bank.
340 families received help in five cities in the occupied territories.
Inspirational Grants
Andriy’s team continues their amazing project called “Inspirational Grants.” In these projects his organization finds refugee children who need a small grant to continue pursuing their passions and hobbies. A couple of weeks ago they completed the sports part of the grant.
12 children met up at the real soccer stadium in Dnipro. All of them moved to Dnipro from Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Marinka and other places devastated by Russia’s invasion. These children have seen harsh realities of the war – they hid in the basement during attacks, they lived under occupation, lost friends and the home where they were born. But on this day they came together because of their love of soccer. Their dreams become reality. They received uniforms, balls, cleats and goalkeeper gloves. Many of them played on such a big field for the first time; the photos can’t convey how much joy there was in these games. We thank Sport Complex “Voskhod” for hosting this event and gifting each of the young players with a beautiful scarf.
11 year old Timofiy came to Dnipro from Melitopol surviving two months under occupation until making a harrowing journey to free Ukraine, despite shellings and abuse by the Russian army. Timofiy had been playing soccer since he was 4. He wants to return to the sport and is training to play in regional tournaments next season. We hope that the equipment provided through this program - which would have been almost too expensive for an IDP family to purchase on their own - will help him realize his dreams and play in more tournaments.
Pomahaem (Andriy’s Team) Distributes Aid in Kamyanske
“On the 27th of November, we distributed aid to 280 households headed by women. We distributed large food packages and hygienic products. At the distribution we met Tetiana. She told us about her life in occupied Kherson. Russian soldiers had absolute impunity, and sometimes shot at houses for fun.
Every day the situation became more dangerous, but it was difficult to dare to leave, as many evacuation columns had been shot up. Tetiana got lucky, but the convoy in front of the team was shelled. Evacuation was difficult: sleeping in cars a few days in a row, endless searches at checkpoints, just sitting in cars for days under the scorching sun. The line at the last checkpoint took 4 days before we crossed into Ukraine-controlled territory.”
At first it was hard to adapt to the new city and to living in someone else’s home. Tetiana began attending a local crisis center called Martin-Klub; she met new friends and attended group therapy sessions. Thanks to group therapy and individual support she was able to overcome the state of panic and stress as well as her fear of losing everything again. She says she is now filled with new energy, ready to live again.
Andriy’s team was able to make this distribution thanks to UN Women Ukraine and Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund.
Team Summaries
Ihor’s Team – Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
14 trips and 152 people evacuated.
Inna’s Team – Krok z Nadiyeyu (“Step with Hope”)
25.6 tons distributed to 8,200 people.
9,500 received bread again.
Flood relief in Kherson:
Exterminated rats in 40 buildings;
Performed 10 maintenance tasks;
Provided generator to restore heating in a residential building.
Firewood was delivered to 3 villages near Slavyansk, Khrestyshe, Adamivka, Nykolske. One of the deliveries came under enemy fire, but drivers took cover and nobody was hurt.
After delivering firewood, the team returned to Kamyanka, Mala Kamyshuvaha. Also help was delivered to Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka, Nikopol - all high-risk areas.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): delivered 20 tons of grocery sets to Chernihiv, intended for assistance in Chernihiv and Sumy regions and the east.
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): transported 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 7 tons of water, 300 hygiene and household chemical sets and 6 tons of groceries to Kherson. Delivered 2 tons of humanitarian aid to Buzke (Mykolaiv Region).
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 2,000 people.
Yuri S (Vinnytsia): delivered 600 kg of grains to Lviv and 500 kg to Kyiv.
Andryi P (Chernivtsi): brought 56 orthopedic beds from Kamienna Góra (Poland) – 25 for a rehabilitation center in Kremenets (Ternopil Region) and 31 to Mykolaiv, bound for Kherson and Beryslav (Kherson Region).
Oleksandr D (Lutsk): brought about 700 kg of energy bars and muesli from Germany and delivered it to Zaporizhzhia. Delivered 23 tons fuel briquettes to the Kherson Region villages of Blahovishchenske and Pryozerne.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): held 3 art therapy sessions for 54 children with disabilities, internally displaced (IDP) children, children from military families and from large families, as well as one art therapy session for 16 adults. Provided food, medicine, insulin syringes and other aid to 246 people. Conducted museum outings and events for children.
Natalia B (Kherson): distributed milk, cheese, sour cream and butter to 9 families with children, children with disabilities and elderly people with disabilities.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh (“Left Bank”)
3 roof repairs completed last week, 2 in Prudianka and 1 in Slatyne, near Kharkiv
Svitlana, based in Kherson, helped 96 families Pryozerne and Kherson.
Darya traveled to Kutkivka with 150 packages.
Darya managed to deliver 5 packages to Dvorichna - that is partially occupied by the enemy with active ongoing combat, 1 to Zapadne, 60 to Kasyanivka.
Darya evacuated 3 people from Kasyanivka.
Karina’s Team - We Save Dnipro
68 people in the shelter
111 people in Nikopol received humanitarian aid
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch
Distributed 140 aid packages with food and 450 hygiene packages in Chornobaivka, Kherson region
Timur’s Team – Timur and Team
Distributed 200 packages in Saltivka, Kharkiv
Special deliveries for 15 families with kids and 10 disabled elderly
Brought 80 packages to Kypiansk. Also brought a variety of items for vermin control, which is a major problem in heavily damaged areas with limited sanitation.
Pavel and Olena’s Team - Touch of Heart and Dawn of Hope
1798 people received help through Mykolaiv Office
22 tons of vegetables were delivered to 874 families in 8 villages of Kherson/Mykolaiv regions.
1.5 tons of water delivered to Novopavlivske
Andriy’s Team – BF Pomahaem
560 packages were delivered to Kamianske focusing on households headed by women. This project was done in partnership with the UN's WPFH fund.
Roof repairs in the Chernihiv area are delayed. The team had to switch building materials suppliers to ensure efficient use of funds.
Marina’s Team – Good Give Ukraine
150 food and hygiene packages were distributed among single elderly persons and people displaced by war in Saksahan
Dina’s Team -- Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina (“Free People - Free Country”)
380 packages at distribution centers, 100 packages mailed
45 families in Kremenchuk got candles
350 sweet treat gifts distributed to kids in Dnipro, 20 gifts mailed to Chuhuiv
Bogdan’s Team - Vse robymo sami
42 families got aid packages
Children in club for kids with disabilities learned to make salad, attended a concert, watched a movie and received winter clothes
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.