January 18, 2024
58,735 people evacuated from danger to date
172 people evacuated from danger this week
44 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories
We continue to be in awe of our supporters’ willingness to connect and empathize with a tragedy taking place in Ukraine thousand miles away. We know how difficult it is to internalize the realities of war from a peaceful home under a peaceful sky. Yet the extreme cold in many parts of the US last week has made it a little easier to feel closer to Ukraine where it’s been just as cold with temperatures dropping below -20C. Despite the freezing cold our teams have largely returned to their noble missions delivering 187 tons of firewood and more than 50 tons of aid across Ukraine in the last week.
Stories
New direction for Firewood Deliveries
Last week Vitaliy Dubrovsky began delivering firewood to the village right on the Eastern frontline. For the pilot project, volunteers picked two villages near Toretsk - Zalizne and Pivdenne. The most difficult part was to find means of transportation. The towns are only 5-20 kilometers away from the enemy and truck companies do not want to risk their vehicles that with heavy loads could become an easy target for enemy drones. Vitaliy’s friend, Vadim, a volunteer himself, has delivered humanitarian aid to the East. He owns a couple of trucks and has agreed to risk them to bring fuel briquettes to these dangerous spots.
The first two trucks delivered 46 tons of fuel briquettes last week to 153 families. Vitaliy’s team was the first to deliver firewood to these towns. Local administration officials were in disbelief that a delivery actually happened as earlier attempts by other NGOs fell through due to the transportation risks.
Anastasia’s trip (Love UA)
On the days Anastasia goes to deliver aid, her messenger status changes to active at 3:00 am Ukraine time. She says that on these days, she usually wakes up before the alarm, thinking through the last details, worrying about her daughter who might need to go into the bomb shelter without her.
This day was off to a rough start. While the team was still in Dnipro, picking everyone up and getting on the road, Anastasia saw two rockets get shot down by Ukrainian defense. It was brutally cold, -8°F with the wind chill. The first village they went to had suffered from artillery fire the previous day. People were too afraid to come out of their homes, even to receive aid. After waiting in the cold, the team decided to head to nearby towns of Kurtivka and Izhevka. While the situation there was also dire, with sounds of nearby explosions reverberating through the air, people were willing to at least meet the volunteers outside of their homes to receive help. Anastasia’s team delivered packages to 300 families and 72 gifts for children.
Shelling in Shostka
Families to whom we provide direct aid sometimes send us updates about their lives. Here is a snapshot of civilian life from the Sumy Region city of Shostka, about 40 miles from the Russian border: "Today at 7:30 am there was heavy shelling. Seven missiles landed in our small city from the Bryansk direction. Seven big explosions. I jumped up from bed still in my blankets and ran to the landing to the nearest load-bearing walls. It was so scary, the children are still scared. Three neighborhoods were left without heat, water, without glass, without window frames or doors. Meanwhile the temperature outside is -4°F. Thanks for letting me vent a little. I want to thank people like you for supporting Ukraine.”
One of the teams in Oleksandr Davydiuk’s network travels to the Sumy region weekly. While Sumy does not often come up on the news, the villages near the Russian border often come under fire. Due to the high risk of enemy fire, these are closed off and require clearance to enter.
Evacuation and Help in the Occupied Territory
13 people were evacuated last week from settlements on the Russian-occupied left bank. One of these women had been buried under rubble in her village in December when a shell hit her family's house. A neighbor dug her out from the debris, but she had suffered many shrapnel wounds to her face, hands and back and a spine fracture. Neighbors transported her to a nearby city by strapping her to a board and attaching the board to a rickety three-wheel motorcycle.
320 packages distributed in 5 towns in the occupied territories.
Kupyansk Direction
For Darya T. - a courageous Kharkiv volunteer - it is hard to provide emotional details other than basic receipts and confirmations of completed tasks. She travels weekly to the most dangerous stretch of the Eastern frontline, the so-called Kupyansk direction, where Russians are slowly clawing away territory suffering massive casualties. Last week, Darya evacuated three people from there. This is all she had to say to Ksenia: “Hey sweetie, yesterday we got three people out. Delivered medicine, I’m sending you the receipt now. It’s very “hot” there [meaning lots of artillery fire], unpleasant and scary. We also brought them some food.We are getting ready to go again tomorrow.”
Team Summaries
Ihor’s Team – Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
14 trips and 145 people evacuated from Lyman, Mykolaiv, Svyatohirsk, Kramatorsk, Kostyantynivka, Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Kherson regions.
Inna’s Team – Krok z Nadiyeyu (“Step with Hope”)
25.7 tons was delivered. 8300 people received help.
9500 people received bread.
Due to bad weather deliveries have slowed down. 48 tons was delivered to Studenok. Temperature dropped to negative 15C.
Kherson operation:
Continued with exterminations in 15 buildings;
56 maintenance tasks completed as generators have been key sources of heat;
Unloaded 10 tons of fuel briquets to be distributed to Kherson residents;
1 person evacuated to Odesa;
Brought aid to Mylove, Sukhanove and Chervonyi Yar - high risk area near Berislav.
Two more trips to Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 2,300 people. In addition to feeding people at the train station, the kitchen now also prepares food at two “warming points” set up for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the city because of the recent cold spell.
Andriy P (Chernivtsi): brought a Renault Kenga car from Germany for Oleksandr D’s organization (in Lutsk), as well as 450 kg of humanitarian aid including clothes, wheels and medicine.
Oleksandr D (Lutsk): delivered 139.5 tons of fuel briquettes to 279 households in the Mykolaiv Region villages of Yur'ivka and Afanasiivka and the Kherson Region village of Komyshany. Also delivered the first 46 tons of briquettes to 153 households in the Donetsk Region settlements of Zalizne and Pivdenne.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): Held 4 art therapy sessions for 78 children with disabilities, IDP children, children from military families and large families. 33 children were taken to see an art exhibit. 144 people received food and medicine and stationary and gifts for children.
NGO Angelia
Brought 11.8 tons of aid over 8 expeditions. The team brought the aid from Lithuania and Germany and distributed it to volunteer hubs and hospitals in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson and other centers.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh (“Left Bank”)
5 roofs - 3 in Slatyne and 2 in Prudianka were completed last week.
Svitlana distributed 187 packages in Kherson and the nearby villages of Vysuntsi and Fedorivka.
Darya managed to evacuate 3 people from Kupyansk region to Kharkiv.
Karina’s Team - We Save Dnipro
69 people in the shelter.
Helped an animal shelter in Dnipro with pet food and vaccinations.
Timur’s Team – Timur and Team
Delivered 85 aid packages to Kyrylivka near the front.
Distributed 300 to people in Saltivka, Kharkiv.
Special deliveries to 20 kids and 20 disabled elderly in Kharkiv.
Pavel and Olena’s Team - Touch of Heart and Dawn of Hope
1815 people received help in Mykolaiv office.
3 tons of water delivered to Luch.
Water supply is a big problem in Mykolaiv area villages, Pavel is looking for suitable spaces to place water barrels. Plastic barrels would freeze and burst if left outside.
Andriy’s Team – BF Pomahaem
118 large family packages delivered to Kupyansk.
Traveled to Myrnohrad again. Distributed 160 packages there.
Delivered 164 packages to Kherson and 6 kits to volunteer hubs there, including fire extinguishers and medical kits.
Marina’s Team – Good Give Ukraine
150 aid packages were distributed in Zhovty Vody.
Hygiene and medicine delivered to Pyatikhatki hospital.
Dina’s Team -- Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina (“Free People - Free Country”)
Distributed 480 packages of aid at regular centers
Sergey T delivered 4 potbelly stoves to Kupyansk and 160 packages of aid to Izyum
Bogdan’s Team - Vse robymo sami
Aid provided to 42 families in Zhytomyr.
Bogdan's team delivered medicine and supplies to Zhytomyr Regional Hospital and City Hospital.
Held weekly club for children with disabilities, featuring psychological aid and a regular cooking class.
Anastasia’s Team - LoveUA
Delivered 300 packages, 72 gifts to kids, 5 gas tanks to Kurtivka and Izhevka.
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.