May 9
Total evacuations to date: 31,656 people
(1,183 people evacuated this week)
Hundreds of thousands of meals delivered to date
On May 8, Ukrainian WWII veterans face a sacred, somber day, one replete with collective suffering and tragedy. Violence and horror haunts these veterans and their families more than 77 years later. This week, our teams in Kharkiv delivered aid packages and flowers to veterans who are living under fire. Our hearts break for those who sacrificed everything in the past and who now witness war and experience tragedy all over again.
Ukraine Teams Milestones
Donning a flak vest and helmet, Pavel and his drivers are routinely finding themselves under fire, at times driving through the occupied territories in the South. When we spoke with Pavel the other day, he shared that a special area of focus for him and his team is working to convince people to evacuate. Many people have grown used to living in basements and feel safer underground. They are too afraid to come out into the daylight to evacuate. Many evacuate only when bombs start to fall onto residential areas, making the mission more dangerous for drivers who must enter active bombing zones to save lives. Last week Pavel’s team evacuated 844 people and distributed 30 tons of humanitarian aid. His team has evacuated 18,372 people to date.
Over the last few weeks, Ukraine TrustChain has increased support to teams in Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, and the Obukhiv region through Natalia’s network.
Karina helped teams continue evacuations from Eastern Ukraine; this week, they evacuated 173 people, 11 dogs, and 7 cats.
Since last week, Andriy’s team has evacuated 191 more people from Lysychansk and surrounding battle zones. To date his team has evacuated 7,073 people from battle zones, and helped 1,852 more to move further west. His shelter continues to host close to 200 people daily.
Along with her other projects such as sourcing medicine for cancer patients in the Kyiv region, Kseniia organized a major humanitarian aid delivery to Kharkiv, and the cargo arrived Saturday.
Our volunteers in Ukraine continue the work of supporting suffering people emotionally. Last week, the teams of Dina and Natasha separately organized children’s events to bring light into the lives of people who have been living under fire, in destruction, and through darkness since February 24th. Dina organized a free benefit concert called “Mir Glazami Rebenka” (The World through a Child’s Eyes) at the Philharmonic Theater in Dnipro. Karina helped with this effort, too, by publicizing the event. Natasha’s team held multiple events in different hard-hit cities including Bucha, Irpin’, and the Chernihiv area, for children to come together and paint. Natasha brought in a therapy artist from Germany, set up painting stations for children, and handed out burgers and treats to children.
US Teams Update
Earlier this week, TrustChain team members joined a panel discussion on donation optimization hosted by the Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies Research Program (REEES) and the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs; the recording is now available.
The preemie babies who helped ignite and inspire Ukraine TrustChain have arrived in Chicago at last; please listen about their journey as well as Ukraine TrustChain’s start on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Here is a link to the recording of the webinar from May 3rd during which one of our team members shared a closer look at the efforts of Karina and Dina in Dnipro.
That’s When Panic Began: Olga from Mariupol
Olga, a refugee from the Mariupol suburbs, evacuated to Dnipro this week. Karina learned of Olga’s story, which is translated below, in the process of supplying her with food and goods.
In the first days, we didn’t feel the war. Everything was open; stores were operating, but there were longer lines at ATMs and gas stations. Suddenly, we lost electricity. On March 3, 2022, we were cut off from the Internet and all communications. Before we knew it, the water was shut off and, after, gas.
Within several days, it was clear that the city would be surrounded. That’s when panic began. All the stores – grocery and pharmacies – were looted; buying something became simply impossible. We split and shared everything – food and medicine– with neighbors. Under shelling, we prepared food on an open fire. March grew very cold, dropping to -7 celsius. We had nowhere to warm up; standing by the fire outside was too dangerous.
On April 12, a shell hit our home, burning down the house. Absolutely nothing was left. My dog died. Evacuating the city was impossible. We would have to pass through filtration at checkpoint. Russians control evacuations by filtering people; this process includes barring those they deem as having nationalistic ties (tatoos, identification, personal history, and affiliations).
Nearly a month later on May 3, by a miracle, we were able to leave in a 6-private-car convoy, packed with people, and arrived in Zaporizhzhia.
Olga thanked Lida, one of Karina's volunteers, for taking her in after she had arrived later in Dnipro, as well as Karina for providing her with humanitarian aid. For now, Olga is staying with a friend.
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.