November 7th, 2024
65,580 people evacuated from danger to date
116 people evacuated from danger this week
48 trips into deoccupied and frontline territories this week
We write this newsletters on the day after an emotionally charged presidential election. Outside the US, few countries watched the proceedings with as much anxiety as Ukraine. The stakes for Ukraine are high. Even if the general outlines of American policy remain the same, the uncertainty of cabinet transition could mean delays in vital aid that sustains Ukrainian civilians and, most importantly, the Ukrainian military. We hope that the voices of reason will prevail and the US stays the course in supporting Ukraine as it struggles for independence and the physical survival of its citizens.
Thank you to many of you who have already filled out our Donor Webinar survey. We are looking forward to meeting as many of our supporters who can make it! If you are interested in coming together and hearing from our team, please fill out this short form.
Stories
UTC Firewood Deliveries Across Ukraine
Firewood deliveries began in earnest last week with Inna delivering 133 tons of firewood to Khotimlya, North of Kharkiv. The team also provided firewood to a large assisted living facility housing 90 elderly internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Dnipropetrovsk Region.
Olena and Pavlo Shulha started delivering firewood in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, reaching 75 families in Prybuz’ke. Meanwhile, Vitaliy Zhuchkov distributed 90 tons of fuel briquettes to 300 households in villages around Kramatorsk.
This is just the beginning of a long series of deliveries that should eventually distribute firewood for the cold winter to more than 20,000 people. We will update you on the progress of this project in the coming weeks.
Vitaliy shows a closeup of a fuel briquette.
Livyy Bereh Takes Dorfman Prize in Architecture from Royal Academy
In our August 1st newsletter, we mentioned that the Livyy bereh roof restoration project in liberated villages, which we sponsored, was nominated for a prestigious award from the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Last week, the jury confirmed that Livyy bereh won the prize. The RA Dorfman Prize is awarded to architects who are “reimagining the future of architecture and taking into consideration geographical and socio-political challenges.”
In the case of Livyy bereh, this meant living in villages, and building deep relationships with locals to assess who really needed help. It meant recruiting reliable local builders and choosing materials and practices that would preserve the spirit of the local architecture, then building roofs that would be more resilient to artillery shrapnel.
UTC donations have supported close to 70% of the 400 roofs rebuilt by Kseniia and her team, so this success is very personal for us. We are happy that a renowned, sophisticated organization like the Royal Academy of Arts recognizes the ingenuity and resourcefulness of volunteer-run projects in Ukraine.
Krok z Nadiyeyu 10 Year Anniversary
We would like to congratulate our many friends working with Inna Kampen on the 10 year anniversary of her NGO Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope). Inna has united more than 200 volunteers, coming mostly from eastern Ukrainian Protestant churches, who support more than 15,000 people across the embattled eastern Ukraine, week after week. Inna organized an event to mark the occasion, bringing together her team and many of our other partners based in Dnipro. It was very special to see this celebration from multiple vantage points, shared with us by so many individuals to whom we have deep and meaningful connections.
Emotional Evacuation in the East
Many evacuations are routine, while others are deeply emotional and haunt the volunteers’ memories. Timur’s team recently evacuated three elderly individuals from the line of fire. One of the evacuees, Halyna (not her real name), traveling with her brother, told Timur that soldiers had died in her backyard. One of the soldiers was screaming for his mother before he passed. That’s when Halyna knew she couldn’t stay any longer and needed to evacuate with her brother.
Halyna’s brother Mykola (also not his real name) has Down syndrome and Halyna has been his primary caretaker in recent years. The war is terrifying for anyone, but especially so for an adult with the understanding of a child.
Mykola himself only had a Russian passport, as he had previously lived with an older sibling just across the Russian border. When the sibling died, Mykola moved back across the border. He has lived in Ukraine for over a decade, but in his small village his passport was never an issue. The team worried that Mykola’s lack of a Ukrainian passport might cause problems when he got to the city, so they were relieved when he was processed and accepted for refugee housing.
Help in Occupied Territories
170 packages were delivered in two occupied Ukrainian towns.
Team Summaries
Alina’s Team – Dobra sprava (Good Deeds)
15 trips, evacuating 111 people from the Kurakhove direction.
Inna’s Team – Krok z nadiyeyu (Step with Hope)
23.1 tons of aid delivered to 8,370 people.
6,600 people received bread.
Aid delivered to 35 towns including high-risk and deoccupied towns near Kherson, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka, Mykolaivka, Balakliya, Izyum, Khotimlya, and Nikopol (10 high-risk trips total).
Firewood delivered to:
77 families in Khotimlya.
90 people in assisted living facility in Novomoskovsk.
Kherson efforts:
10 spaces renewed.
Helped one homeowner cover up windows after shelling.
3 tons of water distributed in Nikopol.
Provided free hairdresser services in Druzhkivka to 25 people.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): delivered 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 7 tons to Kherson.
WeCare Centers (Lviv): delivered 9,000 kg of pasta and rice to Rivne, Ostroh, Korosten, Hostomel, Pryluky, and Pereyaslav.
Yuri S (Vinnytsia): delivered a baby bath and 50 kg of clothes to the poor in the village of Stanislavchyk (Vinnytsia Region). Yuri N from Bruslyniv brought 100 kg of apples to the Harmony rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia.
Andiy P (Chernivtsi): brought 2 cars and a pickup truck from Germany, all filled with 1,900 kg of humanitarian aid, including: 1 Opel engine, 4 orthopedic beds, 2 wheelchairs, 1 washing machine, 15 boxes of household items, 30 bags of clothes and bedding, 3 exercise exercise machines, 10 tires, and 2 vacuum cleaners.
Vitaliy Z (Kharkiv): delivered 3.5 tons of humanitarian kits, clothes, medicine, and animal feed to Chervone in the Kostyantynivka District. Delivered 900 kg of fuel briquettes to Kramatorsk – 300 kg each to 300 households. Finished drilling a well in the Illinivka Rural Community (Donetsk Region). Delivered 2 tons of aid near Pokrovsk.
Serhiy A (Kharkiv): In the month of October, distributed 3,500 kg of food kits to the blind in Khmelnytskyi, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Odesa, Kramatorsk, Pavlohrad, Kamianske, Kryvyi Rih, Mykolaiv, Uman, and Bar.
Oleksandr D (Lutsk): brought food products and 2 beds with mattresses to Pavlo B in Dnipro, for later delivery to a shelter for IDPs. Gave clothes and toys to volunteers who work with children. Altogether, 1 ton of help.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): provided therapeutic interventions and aid for IDP children and adults, children with disabilities, and children from large families, as follows. Held 3 art therapy sessions, working with a total of 137 children. Visited a museum with 64 IDP families, and took 76 IDPs to the theater. Helped 240 IDPs and 60 children and young adult students with bread and other food. Provided 75 physical therapy and wellness sessions for IDPs and others suffering from the stress of war. Also conducted 12 preventative children’s health procedures.
Karina’s Team – My ryatuyemo Ukrayinu (We Save Ukraine)
197 packages of aid distributed in Nikopol.
149 people in the shelter.
Tetiana’s Team — Dopomoha poruch (Help Is Near)
Delivered 200 food aid packages, 200 hygiene aid packages, and 100 packages for kids with sweets and child shampoo to the village of Starovirivka, near Kup'yans'k.
Natasha’s Team – Volontersʹkyy tsentr Vyshnya (Cherry Volunteer Center)
Delivered 260 large family packages to Yampil.
Timur’s Team — Komanda Teymura Alyeva (Timur Alyev’s Team)
Distributed aid to 375 people in Saltivka, Kharkiv, including 43 disabled elderly.
Evacuated 5 people from frontline areas.
Pavel and Olena’s Teams — Dotyk sertsya (Touch of Heart) & Svitanok mriy (Dawn of Dreams)
Aid delivered to 376 families in Afansiivka and Kobzartsi in the Kherson Region.
75 families received fuel briquettes in Prybuz’ke.
Mykolaiv team continues to conduct weekly events for children from IDP families.
Pomahaem Foundation (We Help Foundation)
24 tons of water delivered to Nikopol.
6 trips to high risk areas (11 total vetting cash-aid recipients).
Delivered aid to 216 families in Nikopol and Bilenke (near Zaporizhzhya.
Marina’s Team — Daruy dobro Ukrayina (Give Good Ukraine)
150 food and hygiene packages were given to IDPs in Piatyhatky.
Handed over vests, stretchers, and thermal bags to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Delivered medicine and hygiene sets to the village of Kostyrka in the Kherson Region.
Dina’s Team — Vilʹni lyudy, vilʹna krayina (Free People, Free Country)
388 packages distributed in Kremenchuk, Poltava, Kanev, and Dnipro, and 20 more packages mailed.
Bohdan’s Team — Vse robymo sami (We Do Everything Ourselves)
43 families received food and hygiene kits in Zhytomyr.
In the club for children with disabilities, children learned how to cook chicken, had psychology relief games, and took a field trip to the Zakarpattia Region.
Alena’s Team – Diva (Virgo)
Liza and Katya helped 20 wounded in Odesa hospitals with contusion medicine.
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.