An extreme trip or… 5 km away from the abyss
One of the most extreme trips this week was one to the border area of the Kharkiv region.
As you remember, the closest we came to the border was 15 km away from it, that was the village of Zolochev, but even back then we had certain information that there was an urgent need for firewood in the village of Oleksandrivka, Zolochevsky district. It is situated only up to 5 kilometers away from the border. Saying that the situation there is currently acute would be an understatement. The village has almost no electricity or gas available. And practically most of the houses are heated through wood-burning stoves. Before we headed out to bring the firewood to that place, we were warned that we would have to cautiously unload the firewood in a safe place as fast as possible. Later on, the local administration would organize the delivery of firewood to people’s homes. Thus, 39 families got to receive firewood.
Another truck with firewood went to the east of Kharkiv region, Volchansk district. There we came to find thirty-one families who had not received any outside help at all, either from the state or from some other organizations. Since the area had recently been liberated, the residents have started to come back to their homes, but unfortunately, the living conditions remain exceedingly challenging so our help with firewood is very much appreciated by the people living there.
Nina Bareieva, a resident of the Chuhuiv district, says that her husband is a Chornobyl survivor with the status of a disabled person who is now limited in mobility. Her 85-year-old mother is also dependent on her. Nina is sincerely grateful for our assistance.
There’s also Petro Prydorozhnyi, a resident of Chuhuiv district. He is a single elderly man dependent on a social worker. He can’t afford buying wood on his pension payment alone. Petro also expresses his genuine gratitude to our charitable foundation.
What about the right bank of the Dnipro River, Kherson region?
We are completely assured that people in the south of Ukraine are looking forward to seeing us. So every week we plan our trips to the Kherson region.
This week, we visited the villages of Mykhailivka, Mylové, Novokairy and the city of Berislav. If you look at the map, you can see that these settlements are located on the very edge of the right bank of the Dnipro River. This suggests that the shelling in these towns is rather constant than simply “regular”. We managed to bring there the things that are necessary for surviving, things that keep people alive, products that are brought there by very few due to the fear of the area’s dangers… Our help included firewood and food packages. Our sponsors, Ukraine TrustChain, are very constant in their support of the Ukrainian people, so our incredible Firewood Project (“Drova”) keeps living, inspiring, developing and moving forward thanks to them. According to rough estimates, the firewood we brought this time should be enough for the residents of Berislav until the arrival of warm spring.
There were also some incidents along the way. As we were approaching Berislav, one of our three trucks with firewood got a flat tire. Not only did it burst quite loudly, but the place where it happened was in plain sight which was not safe. Thank God, the wheel was changed very quickly and no one was hurt. But the images of the trucks with mangled cabs will stay in our night dreams for a long time. Unfortunately, the enemy’s strategy is aimed not only at destroying infrastructure, but also at harming human life. It is for these reasons that enemy drones often target truck cabs, and it is not only the equipment that suffers, as drivers rarely survive such attacks.
Help in Kherson
Also, our trip to the right bank of the Kherson region could not do without bringing help to the Kherson city itself. We have a permanent team of volunteers working there, the ones who, while staying and living there, help to eliminate the consequences of the terrible event that took place on June 6, 2023, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. Unfortunately, several areas of the site are still flooded by water that needs to be pumped out, and the premises need to be dried up later on. To do this, we use dehumidifiers powered by generators.
In addition, Kherson suffers from rats, which we fight with and poison every day disinfecting the premises afterwards. But, nevertheless, every single day we are approached by the people who simply do not know how to deal with the rodents. This week, our team from the charitable foundation Step with Hope in Kherson received a call from Ms. Olga, who asked for help in fighting the pests that had gnawed through her walls. She tried to get rid of them on her own but failed. We came and conducted some pest control procedures. In the course of the work, it became clear that disinfection was needed as well. Due to significant temperature fluctuations in people’s apartments, which happens because of the unstable operation of heating networks caused by the constant shelling of critical infrastructure, mold appears. Thus, we are working comprehensively to eliminate the consequences of the disaster.
A story from the first hand
Oleksandr, one of our volunteers, tells us about his trip to the Kherson region:
“It was a special trip for me because we took the same road which I had used to escape the occupied territories in the past, so the images of my previous travel will remain with me forever.The road to the village was mangled, although I still remembered it to be new and intact. There were very few people outside and even fewer cars. Unfortunately, not everyone managed to flee from the occupation that day.
I can still hear the words: “I could merely shoot you dead!” Helpless, not knowing what to say, I looked away from the brazen occupier and stared down at the road, while to my left there was someone’s car already destroyed by shooting.
«Has something changed here since we came?» – he asked.
I wanted to say everything that was on my mind, but those might have been my last words. My wife was sitting next to me, and in the back seat my children’s eyes were studying the man with the gun in his hands. I made a promise to myself that I would get my family to safety and I had to do it. I swallowed all the hatred and tried to answer their questions calmly. We were allowed to go on driving away. At that moment, I firmly decided that one day I would come back. I was very ashamed to be leaving MY city. At that moment, I became solidly determined to do everything in my power to help Kherson and Kherson residents. So, we got away.
You know, men cry too. I cried when I saw the yellow and blue flag. And it crushed me to think of those who stayed behind. I was ashamed to say that I had escaped. On my social media accounts I was ashamed to post things like the nature of free Ukraine, food, dancing and everything that people take pictures of in their everyday lives, because I knew there were those who remained under occupation.
My journey began at the place, where an APC with the letter “z” on it, was dug in. And here I was, back at the same spot, as I had promised myself. Here I was at the very place where you wanted to shoot me and my family. Where are you now? Are you even still alive? I’m sure you don’t remember me among the stream of people who fled from your “Russian peace”. But your tired eyes stamped in my mind forever. Because of you and the other guy who blocked my way with the APC on the Island, something inside of me changed… I changed forever. And even when this war is over, this change will remain in me. It surely will… It will remain in millions of Ukrainians from whom you’ve stolen WHOM they used to be…”
Help for the Donetsk region
Thanks to our sponsors, Restoring Vision, we were able to distribute free glasses in the villages of Konstantynivka and Druzhkivka in Donetsk region. We also distributed bread from our sponsors Ukraine TrustChain to all those in need.
In the cities of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, we handed out humanitarian aid including food packages, glasses and even clothes. The situation is tense because of the shelling, so people in this area do not only need material support but also a moral one, which we provide by taking time to communicate with people and to listen to them.
Kharkiv region through the eyes of teenagers and children
As to Kharkiv itself, in the villages of Kamiana Yaruga and Mala Danylivka, teenagers were waiting for our arrival. This was not the first time that we conducted a psychological and social program for them called Overcoming Adversity, aimed at restoring their moral health. We also distributed bread to everyone in need. And then came the most interesting part: we organized children’s crafting classes where the local kids and teenagers learned to embroider on cardboard.
The city of Krasnodar and the village of Znamenka in Kharkiv region received various types of humanitarian aid. Food packages, bread, glasses, clothing – we were happy to distribute all of that to people.
Thus, this week in the Kharkiv region was amazingly bright.
Dnipropetrovsk region, Nikopol district, how are you?
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, we headed to the Nikopol district, namely to the village of Vesele (literally “Merry”). Although the name of this village gave us hope, the reality was the opposite of its name. There was very frequent shelling and constant explosions to which the people were almost accustomed. In total, 62 people in the village received our aid, namely eyeglasses. And these people were very grateful for this project.
We cannot pass by the touching stories of the people from this region:
Yana, a resident of the village of Mendeliivka. She comes from one of the few young families left in the village. Her husband works as a driver in the fields for days on end. Together they are raising a student son. Despite the harsh reality of rural life, they stick to it with all their might. They cannot imagine themselves separated from the land that feeds them. Despite all of the troubles, they remain extremely open and friendly.
Olga, the only young mother in a dying village. She is raising a baby on her own while her husband is at the front. The military enlistment office has recruited all the young men of the village. She is deeply worried about the fate of her husband, who is serving in a hot spot at the moment.
Lyudmila, an IDP who left Nikopol because of the warfare. Her husband will never get to witness the end of war, as he died without even seeing his hometown again. We are helping her, her children and little granddaughter.
Valentyna, a resident of Pokrov, is a teacher of the highest category working at junior high school. She used to help us distribute aid to the pensioners of Pokrov. Being a pensioner, she still has to work to support her daughter and granddaughter.
Targeted assistance to Pavlohrad and Dnipro
As we have already mentioned, one of the most important types of assistance is targeted help. And it is in Pavlohrad and Dnipro that this direction is developing very rapidly. 495 internally displaced people received such targeted help in Pavlograd. While in Dnipro we organised delivered and distributed bread to the Kovcheg rehabilitation centre in Kirovske village and a nursing home in Goryanivka village.
Novomoskovsk, Magdalynivka, Kryvyi Rih.
In Novomoskovsk and Magdalynivka, we handed out 800 kg of food parcels and 300 kg of bread. We are also very grateful for the clothing that we are able to distribute through the Share the Warmth project. In Kryvyi Rih, we organized the dispensing of 2,000 kg of humanitarian aid. On a regular basis we distributed bread to the homeless people and to the city’s hospitals. In addition, psychological and social training sessions were organised to help people improve their moral health.
Active Kamianske
The volunteer centre in Kamianske is in full swing. Our volunteer bees have done a lot this week. They were busy:
– receiving and distributing bread;
– delivering bread, food and humanitarian aid to volunteer centres, distribution points and to the hospital of Kamianske;
– distributing food packages (30 pieces);
– organizing charity dinners;
– organizing complex, psychological and social assistance groups;
– operating a massage room;
– producing trench candles for the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
– training people at the two-day seminar “Overcoming the disaster”.
We also cannot ignore the feedback from grateful people:
“My name is Lyubov Valentinovna. I am 45 years old. I am a resident of Avdiivka. In April of 2022, I arrived there with my mother, a 75-year-old, and my daughter, aged 18. Our house had burned down. We have nowhere to go back to. Thank you for the humanitarian aid, thank you for the fact that there are people who help us in times of trouble”.
“I am Nadiia, I am 37 years old, a resident of Chervonohorlivka, Donetsk region. Our town was shelled back in 2014, and we became IDPs at that time, but in 2022 we moved to Kamianske. I came here with my daughter and parents. I’m renting an apartment. Many thanks for your backing and your help in such a difficult time, I do hope you would keep supporting us”.
“I am Maryna Stepanivna, a 37-year-old woman from the village of Zolotarivka, Luhansk region, Sievierodonetsk district. I was evacuated with my two children, my father and mother, in May 2022, after the hostilities came almost close to our village so that we had to stay in the basement for several days due to intense shelling. At first, we moved away to Hvardiyske. Hvardiyske, and then, a few days later, to Kamianske. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who cares to provide support and assistance to the victims. We are also thankful for this delicious bread, which is a great support for our family.”
In total, we helped 7950 people, and 9500 people received free bread. The total weight of the food given out amounted to 21550 kg.
