The first stage of the agricultural project has been completed!
The warehouse is no longer filled with the chatting of drivers delivering seeds to different regions of our country. The storekeepers move slowly around the base, as almost all the seeds have already been packed and put into bags. Also, the coordinators of the assistance centers have ceased “cutting off” our phone line with the request to make an appointment and come bring them the seeds. All is quiet. Everyone has already planted their seeds in the black soil of Ukraine and is waiting for the harvest. This week, we have made our final seed deliveries to Balakleia, Kharkiv region, Lozuvatka, Kryvyi Rih district, and Dobropillia, Donetsk region. The people are deeply grateful. And now we have plenty of stories to share about Seeds of Good for the Victory helping people.
Larisa Mitrofanivna comes from the town of Kamianske. She has 46 years of work experience and an inexcusably meager pension. It is almost impossible to survive on it. She received seeds last year as well. Everything she planted grew well, so after the harvest was gathered, it allowed her to survive until this year. She even had enough vegetables to share with her neighbors. She is very grateful for this type of help.
Another woman came to Kamianske from Kharkiv and now is staying at her sister’s. The latter gave her a plot in her vegetable garden, so the seeds have come in handy. Now the sisters are waiting for the harvest together.
Natalia Petrivna has a large family. Seeds are costly nowadays and she simply could not afford to buy enough for her family, so our help was crucial for her. She and her family are much obliged for the help.
But the most important surprise for our beneficiaries will be the second stage of our Agricultural Project, namely the distribution of seedlings.
Invincible Kherson
After we helped the “Sonechko” (Little Sun) kindergarten, we posted information on Facebook so that other institutions also suffering from problems we can help solve could see it. Sure enough, a lot of pre-schools, gymnasiums, and educational institutions started contacting us. So we came visiting to one of those gymnasiums in Kherson. The building had been hit by a missile and ever since then, the moisture started to get inside each time it was raining or snowing. A lot of mold appeared until the gymnasium staff managed to block the holes. They made sure that there was no access to water. And we were called in to help them get rid of the remaining mold. We did our best, so we are hoping that, eventually, the children will come back to study here in safety. And later, we will reminisce on how we did our part to make this place suitable for people to attend.
And there has also been another interesting case. In one town where we were installing a generator to connect the dehumidification equipment, it suddenly broke down. We could not take it away to repair immediately. But after we finally got to take it away… an enemy missile hit the house. The very place where our generator had been installed in was completely blown away. And we thanked the Lord once again for saving both us and the equipment that serves people.
Another interesting story has happened. On Monday, we received a phone call. On the other side was Mr. Oleksii. Now, we have helped Oleksii multiple times already. We helped him in the first days of the flood after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station had been blown up. We dried his apartment, which had been completely underwater during the disaster. Then we disinfected it and helped him get rid of rodents somewhere closer to winter. When there was no electricity, we helped him with a generator and fuel for it. When we saw who was calling, the first thing that came to our minds was that the power was probably cut off again after the shelling, and we had to bring the generator and refuel it. But imagine our surprise when Oleksii said he needed help pumping out the water. We asked him several times if he was sure he needed water pumping, and he confirmed. We were puzzled.
Back then, when the island was flooded, Oleksii’s apartment, his garage and his car that was in it were completely submerged. Our team made sure that he and his wife were able to live in their apartment again after the flooding and also helped with the transportation of the flooded car and its drying. It was only a year after the tragedy that Oleksii managed to restore his car. And now, the question arose of where to park it. Naturally, he brought it to the garage. But when he opened it, the water from the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant flood was still in inside of the garage. The car pit was filled with water. Just imagine, almost a whole year has passed, and the water still hasn’t disappeared! The Step with Hope team in Kherson pumped out the water from the garage and now the man can fully use it. Oleksii says that in the first weeks after the flood he thought his life was over, because he had lost everything. But step by step, we managed to give Oleksis’s family some hope. It was hard, it took time. But the glorious ending, when a person can live in his own home again, drive his own car and put it in his personal garage, is worth it. And it all starts with hope, or rather the first step towards it.
How things are going on in the east part of Ukraine
We have not abandoned our Donetsk residents this week either. We have distributed bread, and food and also brought OSB boards for those whose houses were damaged by shelling. We have also distributed lots of eyeglasses to those who needed them. Thus, the people of Kostantinivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Myrnohrad received not only humanitarian aid but also the assurance that they are not abandoned and are remembered.
Kharkiv region
People from the Kharkiv region always welcome us with open arms and thank us for any help we provide. This time, we organized trips to Kharkiv, Mala Danylivka, Dergachi, Znamianka, Kamiana Yaruga, and Merefa.
With the support of Ukraine TrustChain people in need were provided with bread. A day of entertainment was organized for children, where each of them could switch their minds from the constant shelling. Also, with the help of Ukraine TrustChain, seeds were distributed for sowing.
As always, people could not hold back their words of gratitude:
“I, Portach Yevheniia Volodymyrivna, am a mother of three. I am grateful to you for your assistance. In our difficult times, you are a great help with your delicious loaves of bread and your moral support.”
We also received a thank-you note from a resident of Artemivka, Pogoda Nadiia Mykhailivna, who lives with her seriously ill husband. She is staying with her daughter’s family. All of them have disabilities of group III, general illness. The only income of the family is their pensions: “Your help is very important for our family. We wish you all to be healthy for many years to come. Thank you to everyone who cares!”
Medical aid to Nikopol
All week we have been preparing a program aimed at providing medical assistance and specialist consultations in Nikopol. We fully understood that such services were in great demand. Thus, we organized the arrival of the mobile Angelia clinic, whose specialists paid maximum attention to everyone who needed it. Everyone was very much pleased with this help.
The end of the week was memorable for a trip to the village of Sholokhove with a program involving handing out eyeglasses. We helped 100 people. Besides, after hearing the news about eyeglasses distribution, many more people from the neighboring villages of Pushkarivka and Solene also came to Sholokhove. Thus, we have served not just one village, but three, which motivates us to continue in the same direction even more.
The glasses fitting service takes a lot of time. At first, we check the eyesight of everyone who needs it, then we provide consultations and tell the people how to maintain their eyesight. Some of our visitors’ eyes are in terribly poor condition, but unfortunately, they do not want to go to the hospital.
For example, Mrs.Marina came to us with a request for help. She now lives with her children because she needs constant care. They take care of her. She is very upset about her situation and condition. We provided everything we could to help her at least a little.
Olga, lives with her husband in one of the villages of Nikopol district. They left Nikopol hoping that it would be calmer in the countryside. Unfortunately, things turned out differently, and after heavy shelling of the village, she and her husband are forced to look for a new home once again. We have been helping this family for a long time, and they are deeply grateful for our support.
“Someone cares” in Pavlograd
In Pavlohrad, IDPs, large families, the disabled and pensioners have received help this week. Tamara Hryhorivna, a pensioner from Chasovyi Yar, could not help expressing her thankfulness: “It is important for us to see that someone cares for us here. Thank you very much for the food and bread.”
Destruction in Synelnykove
This week, a heartbreaking tragedy happened in Dnipro and the village of Synelnykove, too. There were terrible air strikes and, unfortunately, civilian casualties, both injured and dead. Many people were left without homes. After three waves of shelling, 60 houses were destroyed by the missiles. Among the houses are many homes of pensioners and people who are unable to rebuild their homes themselves. On this day (which day?), the Help Space from the ICF Step with Hope was organized in Synelnykove. We tried to bring a glimpse of hope into the midst of grief. Thus, people continue to turn to us for help, and we, naturally, help to restore roofs, windows, and other parts of their damaged houses.
Kryvyi Rih, Beryslav, Sofiivka
Kryvyi Rih has also been working tirelessly this week. We have also visited Beryslav and Sofiivka.
We organized the distribution of food packages, bread, and seeds for planting and delivered them to hospitals in the city. In addition, we conducted psychological training for IDPs and victims of war losses. In the children’s shelter, rehabilitation activities were organized for children and teenagers. The total weight of the humanitarian aid was about 2000 kg.
Grateful Kamianske
The work of the volunteer center in the Kamianske district consisted of the following activities:
– receiving and distributing bread around Kamianske;
– delivering bread, food, and humanitarian aid to the volunteer centers and distribution points in Kamianske for the IDPs, families in difficult life circumstances, internally displaced volunteers, and to the hospital;
– transporting of humanitarian aid around the Kamianske town (left and right bank);
– distributing of seeds;
– organizing of charity dinners;
– conducting comprehensive group psycho-social assistance;
– selecting and distributing eyeglasses for the local population and IDPs;
– distributing clothes for IDPs, people in difficult life circumstances, and the locals;
– giving charity haircuts.
Certainty, there was no shortage of grateful feedback:
“I am Elena Valentynivna, 68 years old, a resident of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. After the beginning of the war, my daughter and I moved to Moldova. But, for many reasons, we could not live there and decided to return to Ukraine. In 2022 we arrived here, in the town of Kamianske, where we are renting a two-room apartment. Many thanks to the sponsors for the free eyeglasses, which are essential at our age. I wish you all health and a peaceful sky.”
“My name is Natalia Leonidivna Stasenko. I came to Kamianske in January 2023 from the town of Nikopol. This has been my third relocation since 2014. Thank you very much for the help we are receiving.”
Psycho-social direction
Such a great amount of exciting things do we have going on!
English club, named “Anti-stress English”
Hosted by Natalia Khoroshykh
Our meetings are often led by guests from the USA or Canada who are native speakers and whose classes are a great success! Tomorrow we will have a guest from America! So, if you are interested in listening to real-life English, you are welcome to join us! Please, fill out the form so we can enroll you into one of the groups.
Therapeutic meetings
Hosted by Iryna Isakova
One of our last meetings was titled: “Talking about Hope”. We spoke about not losing hope in this difficult time and moving forward boldly with hope in every step.
Please, fill out the form and we will be happy to offer you available options for the upcoming events.
Positive Ukrainian Club
Hosted by Olena Shkurko
A place where we learn our native language and not only that. We play, sing, learn poetry, practice tongue twisters, and simply relax in pleasant company. If you would like to sign up for the club, feel free to fill out the form, please!
Meetings with a chaplain
Led by Ruslan Sedletsky
If you are into heart-to-heart conversations about vital things in life, this is the place for you. Please, fill out the form so we can get feedback from each of you.
