November 23, 2022
47,817 people evacuated from danger to date
121 people evacuated this week
Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! This year for many of us on the US side of Ukraine TrustChain - this holiday is especially meaningful and personal. Before this war, we had never imagined that gratitude and trust - celebrated on Thanksgiving - can accomplish so much. It feels strange to stop and reflect on what our community has accomplished, with so many projects in flight and so many people still suffering. But whatever is in store for us in the future, there is a lot to be grateful for already. Thanks to your donations, Ukrainian teams:
fed 908,944 people for a week;
evacuated 47,696 people from deadly bombardment zones;
delivered 516 tons of drinking water and 1,350 tons of food;
provided 67,934 shelter nights to Ukrainian refugees;
repaired 5 schools (so far) and roofs for 50 homes damaged by artillery;
completed hundreds of trips to the most dangerous areas of the war.
The list can be continued with many projects we have documented in these letters. All of it was done with the funds you generously donated. We thank every one of you for every dollar. Our American organization made sure all of the funds went to the trusted teams in Ukraine and that US operations did not cost us anything.
We believe that this model, where we listen to active volunteer leaders in Ukraine and support the priorities they identify with direct funding, logistics, and networking is one of the most efficient ways to support Ukraine and reinforce its economy.
As we enter the giving season, we continue to ask for your help in creating fundraisers ahead of the Giving Tuesday on November 29th, reposting our social media posts or telling your friends about the volunteer teams we support. Take advantage of Facebook matching monthly donations through December 31, and the year-end giving campaigns at your company.
Ukraine Team Milestones
Inna’s Team
The high-powered team led by Inna Kampen distributed 36.5 tons of aid helping 9,830 people. 10 directions for these trips included trips to the deoccupied areas of the Kherson region as well as deliveries into the bombardment zones in Nikopol, Slovyansk and Druzhkivka in the Donetsk area.
In Dnipro, due to power outages and since the sun sets early at this time of the year, Inna’s team distributed aid by the light of a flashlight. One of the people receiving aid used their own flashlight to leave this message:
Even without light. No matter what happens in the world, eternal values will still remain: Mercy, Kindness, Love - all that helps survival of all of Humanity and each individual person ... KINDNESS IS HAPPINESS that you give to others.
Kseniia’s Team
Kseniia continued to support a team in Kherson and Kharkiv engaged in direct aid distribution to roughly 200 people weekly. Meanwhile, Kseniia herself traveled to the Kharkiv region where they brought industrial metal roofing materials to quickly cover partially damaged roofs. In Kseniia’s assessment, there is a large number of volunteer organizations now resolving the food crisis in the deoccupied territories, but very few groups are engaging in winterization of homes with roofs damaged in the preceding months. The problem is exacerbated by geographic factors. The Kharkiv region does not have forests, and as a result lumber and firewood are hard to come by. Nevertheless, in just the four days they spent surveying the village of Slatyno, Livyj Bereh managed to facilitate roof repairs for 8 families.
They also identified new needs. They discovered that children in one of the nearby villages had to walk to another village to find an Internet hotspot to download remote learning assignments and keep up with school. We have started exploring ways we can help provide power and Internet stations into these villages to meet essential needs for communication — critical for emotional support, financial operations, and education.
Oleksandr’s Team
Oleksandr continued to coordinate the work of 10 teams:
Pavlo V. delivered 4 tons of aid to Slovyansk, Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk, the three neighboring towns that sit only 20 miles away from Bahmut - currently one the most brutal battlegrounds of this war. As in previous trips, Pavlo keeps contact with groups of residents who are forced to live in the basements of damaged highrises, where periodic artillery attacks on civilian areas, absence of heat, gas and electricity along with damaged windows and roofs force residents to live in the basement. Despite these conditions, a number of people are returning to these towns facing the grim realities of being a refugee in a war-torn country.
Additionally, Pavlo distributed 3.5 tons of bread and food items to nursing homes in Dnipro area.Oleksandr Shnurenko delivered the aid to the deoccupied territories around Izium and Lyman, and brought aid to Bahmut. We are clarifying the amount of aid delivered. His team also continued to distribute aid to villages near the border of Sumy and Chernihiv regions that suffer from periodic artillery attacks.
Yuri an and Gleb managed to deliver 3 tons of aid to Siversk - an extremely dangerous place next to the Lysychansk frontline. Our teams were surprised so many people stayed behind despite the attacks. Most of them have moved into highrise basements. Yuri brought food, blankets, hygienic products, diapers, solar-powered lights, candles and boxes of medicine. Additionally, volunteers delivered diabetic medicine and antibiotics to the local hospital.
28 tons of drinking water were delivered to Mykolayiv by Vladislav Vystratenko’s team as the city awaits restoration of its water supply.
The Odesa team led by Sandra S fed 180 refugees at a railroad station. Most of them have come this week from Energodar, a new hot spot on the map of this relentless war.
Oksana K distributed 1.2 tons of aid in Lutsk, and is planning another trip to Poland to bring in a large shipment of aid.
Working on a joint initiative with Krok z Nadiyeyu, Oleksandr Zhalovaga provided glasses to 180 children from refugee families last week. His volunteers continue to conduct art-therapy classes and music therapy for children with disabilities.
Viktor Vlasiuk provided help to 60 refugee families temporarily staying in Lutsk.
We continue to support the occupied territories around Nova Kahovka - where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating following the narrative we have seen unfold in Kherson earlier.
The situation in Kherson remains difficult with light and heat largely absent from November 5th. Russians forces have started relentless bombing of the city they declared to be a part of Russia just a few weeks back. Tetiana’s team distributed help to 93 people there last week. Another of Oleksandr’s teams is active in the city, but hasn’t been able to provide reports in time for this newsletter.
Oleksandr is preparing a large aid delivery into Kherson region next week.
Timur’s Team
Winter came to war torn Kharkiv with a vengeance. The cold weather, sleet and snow, however, did not stop Timur and Team from taking care of people — whether by making the now treacherous trip to villages like Tishki and Chuhuyiv through iced and damaged roads, or visiting the senior citizens in bombed-out high rises of Saltivka. They delivered and distributed 800 parcels of aid this time. Again people cried after receiving laundry detergent and nervously awaited their turn for candles. After this week, many cars needed repairs. Next week Timur hopes to bring some sweets and gifts for the youngest survivors of this nightmare.
Pavel’s Team
Evacuations, which have been a key focus of Pavel’s extensive transportation network, have slowed down, with 58 people evacuated. As we are writing this report, though, a new evacuation direction has opened up. Russia’s bombardment of Kherson has forced a large number of people who had been held in place by the occupation earlier to evacuate. Pavel’s buses were on the way to the Kherson region border where evacuees could be picked up.
In the meantime, Pavel’s humanitarian aid deliveries have reached a new level. 9,148 people received aid from Pavel’s organization in Mykoayiv and Kharkiv. 9 generators have been distributed. 2 of them went to an orphanage in Kherson region, 2 to the Kharkiv region, and 5 to Mykolayiv.
Sourcing and transporting aid at this level is an incredible challenge. But in addition to forming and delivering food packages, Pavel’s team received 80 tons of cargo in preparation for a massive initiative called “Project Warmth” which is another take on empowering families living in damaged buildings to repair their homes by providing them with necessary support and materials.
Dina’s Team
Despite a deteriorating situation with electric power in Central Ukraine, Dina’s team distributed food packages to about 1,100 people. Approximately 500 package were distributed in the deoccupied areas of the Kharkiv region. Some of the aid was packaged on site; that is why the number is approximate. 100 more blankets were distributed to refugees in Poltava, filling the need within the group of refugees we support there.
Serhiy Tiora from Dina’s team traveled to the devastated village of Hrakove in Kharkiv region. For a while, Hrakove was on the frontline and was largely destroyed by Russian artillery. Serhiy and Dina also collaborated with Alena - our volunteer from Odesa, who forwarded a large medical shipment delivered to the Kharkiv hospital.
Meanwhile, Dina traveled to Kyiv where she spent two days at the Center for Medical and Psychological Rehabilitation of Children. Dina started supporting the center last week initially by delivering fuel to power the Center’s generators.
Karina’s Team
Karina’s team made two more trips to Kherson delivering medicine, hygienic products and food as part of a humanitarian convoy. The city continues to celebrate their reunification with Ukraine, but suffers from the utter destruction of civilian infrastructure. Because of the continued risk of diversions and ongoing demining operations, getting into the region is difficult and requires an official permit. Ukraine TrustChain was particularly proud to spot a familiar vehicle, a van we purchased in April that takes part in humanitarian missions to this day.
Evacuations continued from Bakhmut with 46 people evacuated, and Kheron (17). 102 people continue to live in the shelter, receive food, medical and psychological help there. Karina’s team and the shelter residents are diligently conducting cleanups and disinfections to minimize the impact of seasonal diseases.
Last week we partnered with Karina to complete a major delivery of wet wipes. This seemingly unimportant item is crucial in areas where access to fresh water is disrupted. There, the wipes are an essential hygienic item for childcare and, at times, it also replaces shower and soap. We partnered with a number of volunteer organizations to get these donated items to Ukraine efficiently. Thank you Edgewell for this generous donation. Thank you World of Connections, Help Ukraine Center and Bird Of Light - our partners in getting this cargo to Ukraine. Tens of tons of wet wipe packages are now being distributed in Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipro, Mykolayiv and other cities.
Tetiana’s Team
On November 17 Tetiana brought aid to the village of Sanzharyha distributing aid to 39 families there. Due to disruption of intercity bus routes, refugees that end up in these villages find it difficult to travel to the city to receive humanitarian aid.
Natalia and Alena from Odesa
Alena Prizhebolska traveled to the village of Zeleny Gay in Kherson region delivering medicine and food. Natalia and Alena are preparing for more trips to the Kherson region next week.
Andriy’s Team
Andriy’s foundation is preparing for trips scheduled for December. In the meantime 127 people continue to live and receive food and medical help in his shelters. Andriy is also pursuing a difficult noble path, criticizing the leadership of his church by engaging in direct dialogue with his followers and the Ukrainian public.
How to Help
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