May 2
Total evacuations to date: 30,473 people
(2,199 people evacuated this week)
Hundreds of thousands of meals delivered to date
Please join the live webinar on Tuesday at 6pm CT.
Our US operations engagement lead Olga Shafran will be featuring the efforts of Dina and Karina from Dnipro.
Ukraine Teams Milestones
Karina and her heroic volunteer teams were featured on PBS NewsHour. Willem Marx and his team traveled to Dnipro to meet and interview Karina, learn about her evacuation center, and share on international television the life-saving work that her volunteers perform daily. Willem Marx also interviewed Daniil, who discussed the urgency and importance of donating to Ukraine TrustChain.
Karina’s team, using a van that your donations purchased, evacuated 11 people from devastated Mariupol yesterday. Over these past two weeks, Karina’s teams also evacuated 946 people from Rubizhne, Kramotorsk, Kharkiv, and other areas of danger. They made sure to take care of the animals, too, evacuating 52 dogs and 18 cats.
Natalia returned from Poland this week with trucks full of humanitarian aid; while she was in Poland, her team of volunteers took multiple trips to deliver humanitarian aid throughout the Kyiv region.
Kseniia’s team brought aid into the Chernihiv area, at times pushing their cars through muddy, soaked fields in the areas that haven’t been fully de-mined.
Nikolay’s group and several other volunteers organized an outdoor children’s festival in Dnipro. Along with providing food and other aid, they distributed paski and toys for children. Entertainers showed magic tricks and engaged the children in games.
Pavel evacuated 1,052 people – 389 children – this week from zones of bombardment.
Andriy continues to host 200 people in his shelter daily; 1-2 buses ran each day, evacuating approximately 180 people over the last week.
US Teams Update
Children’s drawings for Ukraine wanted. Karina includes children’s drawings when she mails packages to people to boost their morale; Dina is collecting them for upcoming benefit events. One of our US team members, Elina, will send these drawings with a friend when she travels to Poland, and they will be transferred to our volunteers in Ukraine. Please mail drawings to 433 Thornmeadow Rd, Riverwoods, IL 60015, by May 15th.
Natalia Mitsuta and a Ukraine TrustChain representative were invited by Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs to speak on a panel along with Tymofiy Mylovanov, President of Kyiv School of Economics and advisor to President Zelensky’s administration, and Donald Bowser, an anti-corruption and security expert of 25 years. Natalia shared how impactful direct aid through Ukraine TrustChain has been, enabling rescuing and feeding tens of thousands of Ukrainians living under fire. We will share the recording of this webinar on our social media pages when it becomes available.
The PBS NewsHour segment is a great way to raise awareness of our organization; we encourage you to continue to share Ukraine TrustChain’s efforts with your friends.
Spotlight on Dina's Efforts
Dina was a realtor in Kharkiv before the war; after 10 days of living in hiding in her bathroom during heavy shelling, she evacuated to Dnipro. Now she has a team of 20 volunteers in Kharkiv who risk their lives each day to help others. Most of Dina’s aid goes toward Kharkiv, to where her team brings medicine, food, and other aid from Dnipro three times each week. She aims to take care of those who cannot readily provide for themselves – children, orphans, elderly, and animals left behind.
This week, she started expanding her aid to other cities all over Ukraine by sending packages to mothers with kids who fled Kharkiv and now live elsewhere. Through an online mother’s group, Dina learned that many mothers are in dire need of items for their babies and children. These mothers are unable to work, and some live in small villages with no access to formula, baby food, or diapers. This week, Dina shipped out 43 packages of humanitarian aid to mothers. Dina’s volunteer team has been providing humanitarian aid to a children’s hospital in Kharkiv where 20 children without parents and 30 mothers with children are being treated. She also purchased and is bringing diapers, food, and medicine to the 120 multi-aged children who live in group homes.
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.