May 30, 2024
61,798 people evacuated from danger to date
146 people evacuated from danger this week
30 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories this week
In our chats with Ukrainian teams we feel the slow escalation of the war and the stress and tension that is gradually building up all across the frontline. Our teams’ priorities shift almost unnoticeably and incrementally. We support more plywood purchases because there are more explosions in Kharkiv. The bombing of a Kharkiv megastore last Saturday killed 18 people; a dozen other explosions in Kharkiv over the weekend left victims who needed help with repairs and food. Anastasia started taking a different route to Donbas, because the old road was now within range of Russian artillery. Tetiana couldn’t deliver packages from Kryvyi Rih to a village on the bank of Dnipro because bored Russian soldiers have been bombing civilian vehicles for fun from across the river. But the aid still makes it in. New drop-off locations and protocols are established. The war drags on and our volunteers continue to adapt to it and find new ways to help.
Stories
Dobra Sprava Evacuation Story
"Don't try to pet him," said Oleg, the owner of Charlie, as they were evacuating from Selydove. "Charlie is no longer the friendly dog who used to play with the neighborhood kids. He’s now afraid of everyone. He’s felt the power of the explosions, and he is not the only one — my whole family has felt it... We can't take it anymore, we have to leave... to save ourselves."
Operations in the Occupied Territory
120 packages were delivered to 3 occupied towns and 3 people were evacuated. Last week we helped Maria leave the occupied part of Ukraine and reunite with her daughter and granddaughter. Maria sent this note to thank everyone who helped her — a list that includes the volunteers who moved her through Russia, those who got her across the border, and all of you who provided funds for this long and perilous journey:
“Nobody owes me anything. I waited for this reunion for so long. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know when we would’ve reunited. I thank God for everyone who took part and made this trip possible. May God bless all of you and generously fulfill all your needs…”
Communal Laundromat
Vitaliy Z, whom we support through Oleksandr Davydiuk’s network, has been specializing in drilling wells in frontline towns. Access to water is one of the basic human rights and we are glad that we’ve been expanding our help in this direction — helping drill wells in Siversk and Zalizne with more frontline towns scheduled in the coming weeks. The water is desperately needed, not only for drinking but also for personal hygiene and washing clothes. Last week Vitaliy delivered washing machines and a generator to Siversk where they will power a communal laundromat that any remaining residents can use free of charge.
Kherson Fish Tale
Next week will mark a year since Oleksandr Ushkan has been helping Kherson residents overcome the consequences of Kahovka dam destruction that persist to this day. One of the people helped was Andriy. Volunteers helped dehumidify his house last summer. Last week, Andriy asked for help again because he was ready to bring his flowers back to his home. Andriy is an amazing gardener and he has worked tirelessly to restore his garden after the flood. Now he was ready to bring back his flowers.
“We saw people abandoning their dogs and cats in Kherson and here was someone who had evacuated his flowers!” Oleksandr wrote.
In the garden the volunteers also spotted a pond full of fish. Andriy told them an incredible story about the largest fish in that pond. During the flood the fish would not leave her pond and kept swimming around in the yard until Andriy moved her to a safer location. Most fish did not survive the move, but this one did, and she returned home together with Andriy’s flowers.
Team Summaries
Natalia’s Team - Vyshnia Volunteer Center
500 packages delivered to Lyman and nearby frontline villages of Zarichne, and Torske.
125 family packages and 45 packages for children delivered to Tverdomedove.
Alina’s Team – Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
14 trips and 138 people evacuated from Lyman, Mykolaiv, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka, Selydove, Novohrodivka, Myrnohrad, Hrodivka, Pokrovsk, and Kherson.
Inna’s Team – Krok z Nadiyeyu (“Step with Hope”)
9850 people received aid, 20.6 total.
9,500 people received bread.
550 refugee families living in Dnipro Region received seedlings.
Work in Kherson:
Exterminations in 16 buildings, including 4 large basements of multi-story buildings.
13 equipment maintenance tasks completed.
Evacuated 1 person to Uman.’
Delivered aid Druzhkivka Kostyantynivka, and Kramatorsk.
Delivered aid to Nikopol and water to nearby Mendeliivka.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K delivered 35 tons of water to Mykolaiv and 14 to Kherson.
Yuriy S held a picnic for disabled people, fed 20 people in Vinnytsia.
My Vdoma delivered 124 packages to Druzhkivka.
Pavlo B distributed 21 tons of aid brought in last week.
Vitaliy Z delivered 2.5 tons to frontline Siversk, including 200 aid packages, and pet food. Also delivered a generator and two washing machines to Siversk, for a public cleaning facility.
Benjamin K delivered .9 tons of aid including orthopedic beds, bathtubs and other equipment for disabled people.
Oleksandr Z conducted art therapy classes for 36 children. Visited a zoo and museum with 106 children. Helped 156 university students at the internally displaced people (IDP) support center.
NGO Angelia
1.5 tons of humanitarian aid delivered to Chernivtsi (clothing, food, wheelchairs and crutches).
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh (“Left Bank”)
Svitlana delivered 242 packages to Kherson, Pryozerne, Oleksandrivka, and Pokrovsk.
Darya covered 12 windows and delivered 56 packages in Kharkiv.
Roofs continue to be on hold due to fighting north of Kharkiv.
Karina’s Team - We Save Dnipro
69 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch (“Help is Near”)
Delivered 200 aid packages to Zaporizhzhia.
Timur’s Team – Timur and Team
Distributed aid packages to 320 people in Saltivka, Kharkiv including to 30 families with children and 20 disabled elderly.
The team evacuated 4 people from Vovchans’k. They described it as an evacuation from hell, where no one else would go.
Timur was at the site of the shopping mall in Kharkiv which was hit by multiple glide bombs. The devastation is unimaginable. Timur had to stop filming because people were in shock.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams - (“Touch of Heart” and “Dawn of Hope”)
182 packages delivered to Novopavlivske and Novohryhorivka.
1.5 tons of water delivered to Novopavlivske.
1759 people received help in Mykolaiv office.
Kirill, Marina, Andriy - Pomahaem Foundation (“We Help”)
Delivered 230 packages to Kushuhum (frontline town near Zaporizhzhia).
65 packages delivered to Kutuzivka.
Marina’s Team – Give Good Ukraine
There was no aid distribution this week for Marina's team, because the supplier was drafted. However Marina’s team held another round of psychological relief games for internally displaced people.
Dina’s Team - Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina (“Free People - Free Country”)
Distributed 480 packages of aid in Kremenchuk, Krasnokutsk, Kanev, Poltava, snf Dnipro. Continue to receive newly displaced people from the Vovchans’k area.
Bogdan’s Team - Vse robymo sami (“We do everything ourselves”)
84 food and hygiene packages distributed in Zhytomyr.
In the club for children with disabilities, the kids made art, participated in a master class to make a banana smoothie, played outside and rode the zipline. Also this week they visited the "Happy Horseshoe" riding school to interact with horses.
Anastasia’s Team - LoveUA
Distributed 278 packages of food, 278 packages of hygiene products, adult diapers, children's diapers, wet wipes, children's gels, and pet food in Popiv Yar, Poltavka, and Rusyn Yar.
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