July 20, 2023
53,574 people evacuated from danger to date
361 people evacuated from danger this week
33 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories
Our volunteers, especially those based in the southern cities of Ukraine, such as Odesa and Mykolayiv are again suffering from the nightly attacks following the recent escalation of the war. But the feverish pace of the work described in this letter keeps them distracted from these horrific realities and focused on the ongoing projects. The effort week in and out to sustain people living through war has remained the same, but each of the projects listed below is an incredible achievement. We are evacuating hundreds of people out of the occupied territories, bringing in many trucks of aid to frontline areas, and supporting tens of thousands of people.
Stories
Supporting Ukrainians under Russian Occupation
Our volunteers continue their heroic work supporting the civilian population in the occupied parts of Ukraine. More than 300 people received aid packages consisting of essential groceries to the most vulnerable groups.
Also we continued to support evacuations bringing Ukrainians back into Ukraine territory. Last week we enabled 152 such people to return to Ukraine, including 15 immobile individuals. The teams evacuated 15 pets as well which was a necessary condition for some of the people we helped, who had nothing left other than their loyal beloved pets.
Livyj Bereh repairs 200th roof in Kharkiv Region
We congratulate Livyj Bereh on completing 200 roof repairs last week in the Kharkiv region. Local military administration also marked this achievement and awarded medals to the founders of Livyj Bereh, Ihor, Vlad and Kseniia, whom we supported from the very first week of this war.
Alena’s trip to Kherson
Three vans and a sedan left from Odesa before dawn heading to Kherson. Alena has been preparing for a couple of weeks and the hope was to deliver aid as well as check on all projects Alena’s team is supporting in the area. Their first stop was Posad-Pokrovsk, a small town between Mykolaiv and Kherson, where the sappers we support are working on demining the town. This work is paving the way for restoration of gas, water and electricity, which are essential for local farmers to resume their work and begin rebuilding their community.
The next stop was Chernobayivka. In previous weeks, we wrote about this humanitarian aid hub set up in what used to be a daycare center. There, volunteers cook and feed the rescue workers as well as those affected by the flood. Currently, they feed about 15,000 people per week. Alena brought in a new freezer, 500 disposable food containers, 1,000 kg of bread, vegetables and meat, 1.5 tons of water, and miscellaneous kitchen supplies.
Finally, the team went into Kherson to check on the flood relief work. Our efforts in Kherson are centered around the neighborhood called Ostrov (“the Island”) where the water levels were highest during the flood, swallowing some houses whole and making them no longer “compatible with life,” in the words of town officials. Yet, desperate owners refuse to abandon them; instead, slowly repairing and rebuilding them with the help of the groups we support. This time, Alena delivered additional generators, cables, buckets, cleaning supplies, heavy duty trash bags, water, food, and hygiene products, as well as PPE. They also brought a water vacuum, power washer, and water pumps.
For the people who lost everything in their homes, Alena’s team had more mattresses, blankets, clothing, dishes, and anything else they managed to collect from caring souls in Odessa.
It is incredibly difficult to watch the videos of the devastation left by the flood, which is further exacerbated by continued shelling and destruction perpetrated by Russian forces.
Team summaries
Ihor Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
Took 14 missions, evacuating 161 people
One of the trips was to Chasiv Yar - a very dangerous area on the Bakhmut frontline
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Pavlo V (Dnipro): delivered 2,700 kg of groceries, clothes, shoes and hygiene products to Slovyansk (Donetsk Region) and 640 loaves of bread to centers for displaced and disabled persons in Dnipropetrovsk Region.
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): delivered 3 pallets of food and hygiene items to Sumy Region.
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): transported 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv, 5 tons of water and household supplies to flood victims in Kherson, and 3 tons of humanitarian aid to Pavlo-Mar'yanivka and Snihurivka (Mykolaiv Region).
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 2,000 people, most of them evacuees from the flooding in Kherson.
Andriy P (Chernivtsi): brought 2 tons of humanitarian aid from Europe for further distribution.
Vilis N (Chernivtsi): delivered 1,000 food kits to the villages of Lyubymivka, Shevchenka and Trudolyubivka (Zaporizhia Region).
Oleksandr M (Hostomel’): delivered 430 liters of bottled drinking water, 70 sets of food products plus medicine to Tyahynka (Kherson Region).
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): held 4 art therapy sessions for children with disabilities and children of internally displaced people (IDPs) from Kherson. Distributed glasses to 87 IDPs from the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh
7 more homes received new roofs in the villages of Slatyne and Tsupivka
446 families received aid in Kherson region in Kherson, Komyshany, Tokarivka and Posad-Pokrovsk
Natasha - Vysnia Volunteer Center
Delivered 400 packages to the villages Novoselivka and Vesele.
Continue to support demining efforts. 10 villages reported demined in Kherson region by the demining corps we support
Karina’s Team - We Save Dnipro
Remodeling continued at the shelter with the installation of new showers
72 people currently living in the shelter, almost all of them elderly or women and children
Delivered 8 generators to Kherson
Alena - Virgo
48 people evacuated from the occupied flooded zones of Kherson over the past month. We are only now able to safely report on this operation.
Inna’s Team
Flood relief work continued in Kherson:
Began dehumidifying 7 more residences
15 buildings disinfected
Pumped water out of 5 homes
This required 40 generator refuelings. Team continued to experiment and defined new protocol for rest work ratio for the generators
2 more trips to Berislav and Davydiv Brod delivering 230 packages as well as memory cards, chargers and lightbulbs
5 more trips delivering targeted help and 280 aid packages to Konstantynivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Dobropillia and Novoocherevate
200 packages delivered to the deoccupied Virnopillia
23.5 tons of aid delivered overall
8,200 people received aid packages; 11,000 received bread.
Timur-Timur and The Team
The team has refocused their work on the Kharkiv region after going to help in Kherson in recent weeks. Delivered 250 packages of hygiene items to Tishki and another 250 packages to Saltivka. Delivered 200 food packages to Saltivka. Also 25 deliveries to disabled elderly and 20 to kids.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch
Distributed 100 food packages to elderly and residents with disabilities in Smila via the department of social services.
Delivered 200 aid packages to Mykhailivka, Cherkassky region.
Pavel and Olena - Touch of Heart and Dawn of Hope
1,563 families received help through Mykolayiv office
Delivered water and began recurring deliveries to the village Pavlo-Mayranivka that suffers from water shortages after Kahovka Dam Disaster
Andriy - BF Pomahaem
32 people live in Andriy’s shelter
252 families received clothing
Flood relief operations continued with 14 families receiving pumps to dry out their homes
Marina – Good Give Ukraine
A total of 150 food kits were provided to families who have been displaced in Zhovti Vody.
Dina - Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina
Distributed 483 packages of aid
Mailed 100 packages of aid
Bogdan - Vse robymo sami
42 food kits were distributed
In addition to hosting children’s events, Bogdan's center also offers programs and classes specifically designed for elderly individuals. One such program is the "Choir of Generations," which last week organized an event for participants to create their own cakes.
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.