March 21, 2024
60,198 people evacuated from danger to date
154 people evacuated from danger this week
38 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories this week
From the first weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian volunteer teams have supported internally displaced populations all across Ukraine. In addition to humanitarian aid received from volunteers and charities, Ukrainian IDPs have also been receiving modest monthly support payments from the government amounting to 60 dollars a month, or 90 dollars for people with disabilities and people with children. This seemingly small stipend often made a crucial difference, allowing people to pay rent or afford medicine. Starting this March, the Ukrainian government was forced to start winding down IDP support, pushing some people to find ways of feeding their household, but pushing others over the brink of extreme poverty. With the havoc and destruction Russians brought to Ukraine, many businesses have shut down, and finding employment is challenging especially for people migrating from rural areas.
As a result we are seeing a new concerning trend: IDPs from rural frontline areas beginning to return to their villages, despite the risk of shelling and approaching frontlines. This makes it even more complicated to save people by convincing them to evacuate. Once again this highlights for us the multifaceted significance of volunteer help. By providing reliable weekly help to IDPs across Ukraine, our volunteers not only bring aid, but also offer an anchor that helps a Ukrainian refugee hope for a better tomorrow and stay in relative safety further away from the combat zones.
Stories
Dobra Sprava Evacuation Story
Especially memorable this week was the story of two Tanyas from the city of Mironohrad.
The two elderly women - these two Tanyas - were long-time neighbors. Both are 65-years- old, both have health problems and have difficulty walking. Usually, it's hard to motivate elderly people to evacuate, but both of these Tanyas actually made the important decision to evacuate for the sake of rescuing their grandchildren. Both women turned out to be guardians and are raising their grandchildren on their own. One Tanya has a 14-year-old granddaughter, Nastya, and the other Tanya has an 11-year-old grandson, Sergiyko. The children were orphaned at the ages of 5 and 6, so the grandmothers, both legally and morally, took these children under their care.
"We need to save the children. They've already experienced the war to the fullest, seen destroyed buildings, including their school, and felt what explosions are like. We're very worried about them; we just need to save them, and we only hope we have enough health and strength to get them back on their feet."
Our volunteers brought Tanyas and their grandchildren to Dnipro, helped with overnight accommodations in a shelter, and the next day organized and assisted them with further relocation by train to Lviv.
Help in Occupied Territories
360 aid packages distributed in four occupied towns. 7 people were also evacuated from the Russian-occupied left bank.
Village of Luch
If you browse through many of our newsletters, you will notice that Pavel’s team has been delivering water to the village of Luch (“Ray” in Ukrainian), sitting between Kherson and Mykolaiv. Prior to the war this was a flourishing village famous for its greenhouses. The village was unusual, as the majority of its inhabitants were younger families. The village was never occupied but ended up in the gray zone, with multiple families perishing under Russian artillery attacks. During 2023, after the liberation of Kherson, families began to come back and step by step began to rebuild, restoring electricity, natural gas lines and one water tower.
Unfortunately, the supply of drinking water hasn’t been restored and the elderly as well as people that did not have any means of transportation asked Pavel to organize water delivery. The Pavel team has been delivering water to them ever since. Besides water they continue to provide comprehensive aid to Luch and many other nearby villages (see Pavel’s team section below).
“House of Joy” completed by NGO “We can do everything ourselves” in Zhytomyr
The construction of the Inclusive Children Center "House of Joy" has been completed! This project was partially sourced from a generous anonymous grant from a private foundation. The funds we provided went towards indoor construction materials and equipment, and all the work was completed by volunteers - parents of the children who will enjoy programming at this “House of Joy.”
Once final inspection is completed, the center will provide hot meals for approximately 12,000 children annually and offer social and psychological services to approximately 1,200 kids. Additionally, about 300 children will have the opportunity to attend creative classes at the center every week. Center will mainly serve children from large families, low-income households, kids from single-parent families, children with disabilities, and internally displaced children. Moreover, the center will not only benefit children but also offer classes for parents, as well as a theater and a choir for elderly individuals who often struggle to find social activities.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
15 trips completed and 147 people evacuated from Lyman, Mykolaiv, Slovyansk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka, Novohrodivka, Pokrovsk, and Kherson areas.
Inna’s Team – Krok z Nadiyeyu (“Step with Hope”)
22.1 tons of aid distributed to 8,250 people.
9,500 loaves of bread delivered.
50 tons of firewood were delivered to Hontarivka.
Work in Kherson:
Performed disinfection in a humanitarian hub and 6 other spaces.
Exterminations in 8 buildings.
26 equipment repairs and maintenance tasks.
Distributed aid in Fedorivka, Kramatorsk, Kostyantynivka, Druzhkivka.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): volunteer Andriy distributed food, clothing and utensils to 300 families in Kherson. Stasyuk and several other volunteers distributed 400 food kits in Shostka and other border areas of the Sumy Region.
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 42 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and Kherson.
Andryi P (Mykolaiv): volunteer Mykhailo delivered 20 tons of food products, clothes and shoes, wheelchairs and 5 medical ventilators and hygiene products from Chernivtsi to Dnipro.
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 2,200 people.
Yuri S (Vinnytsia): delivered 1 ton of clothes to the boarding school in Plyskiv. Distributed food kits, clothes and dishes to displaced persons and the poor in Vinnytsia. Took a disabled person to social services and rehabilitation.
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): delivered 2.5 tons of food kits, bread, medicines, clothes and various tools and equipment to Chasiv Yar and 4 locations near Siversk (all in Donetsk Region).
Oleksandr D (Lutsk): received 3 tons of food products from Transcarpathia for distribution to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Lutsk.
Oksana K (Lutsk): delivered 70 kg of groceries, hygiene kits and clothes to the Ark church for further distribution.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): held 4 art therapy sessions for 67 children with disabilities, IDP children, children from large families and from military families. Organized events and gave out treats to 146 orphaned children at the boarding school in Zaturtsi (Volyn Region).
NGO Angelia
Brought 1,300 kg of humanitarian aid and gifts for children from Warsaw, Rzeszów and Prudnik (Poland) to Mamaivtsi (Chernivtsi Region).
Delivered 3,400 kg of food, water filters and clothes from Kyiv to Kramatorsk.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh (“Left Bank”)
4 roofs repaired in Slatyne near Kharkiv.
Delivered aid to hospice in Kharkiv, housing 34 palliative patients.
Karina’s Team - My ryatuyemo Ukrainu Dnipro (“We Save Ukraine Dnipro”)
Delivered and mailed humanitarian aid to 100 families.
Delivered blankets and aid to 55 families in Nikopol.
Delivered aid and medicine to the site of the deadly rocket attack in Kryvyi Rih.
58 People in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch (“Help is Near”)
Distributed 200 aid packages to internally displaced refugees in Smila.
Distributed 50 aid packages to old and disabled in Smila through the department of social services.
Distributed 80 aid packages at the orphanage in Smila.
Timur’s Team – Timur i ego komanda (“Timur and Team”)
This week the team visited two shelters for recent internally displaced refugees. They brought food and much needed supplies. With the intensified fighting in the East, there are now over 600 people staying between the two shelters.
They also distributed diapers to 20 families with babies and aid to 20 disabled elderly.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams - (“Touch of Heart” and “Dawn of Hope”)
Mykolaiv team provided aid to 1698 people.
Brought furniture and used laptops and tablets for children in Luch and Novohryhorivka - which allows kids to study remotely.
Seeds distributed to 546 people in Prybuzke, Luch, Kvitneve and Lubomyrivka.
Planting potatoes distributed to 190 families (4.5 tons total).
7.6 tons of vegetables to 863 families in Dobra Krynytsia, Kysylivka, Kvitneve, Lubomyrivka, Novohryhorivka, Luch and Prybuzke.
Kirill, Marina, Andriy - BF Pomahaem (“We Help”)
Off-week for the team, planning next missions.
Marina’s Team – Good Give Ukraine
150 families in Zhovti Vody received aid.
Dina’s Team -- Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina (“Free People - Free Country”)
Distributed 380 packages of aid, plus an additional 30 to a different group of aid requestors (refugees from the Luhansk region living in Dnipro)
Continue helping an orphanage in Kharkiv, this time by buying shoes for the kids
Bogdan’s Team - Vse robymo sami (“Doing everything ourselves”)
42 families got food and hygiene aid.
Children with disabilities had a trip to theater, to the concert, and a weekly cooking class.
Alena’s Team – Virgo
Delivered 1000 packages of milk and 400 kg of carrots (donated by a distributor) to Antonivka.
Delivered 60 humanitarian aid packages, as well as 120 boxes of ciabattas 120 packages of milk and 300 kg carrots, diapers, soap (donated by a distributor) to a building in Kherson whose residents are veterans and/or widows of Chernobyl disaster cleaning crews.
Anastasia’s Team - LoveUA
420 humanitarian aid and 420 packages of hygienic products to a town outside of Kostyantynivka 10km from the front line.
How to Help
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Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
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