Firewood in times of trouble
We had another heartbreaking trip to the Kharkiv region… A trip to the villages that had been under occupation, to the towns through which tanks had been passing, to the people who had seen all the horrors of war with their own eyes… Hontarivka village, Volchansk district, Kharkiv region.
Starostynskyi district consists of eight villages that were occupied right in the first days of the war and through which military equipment was actively moving from Belgorod, Russia. These villages have been liberated from occupation, but the situation there remains difficult in every sense of the word. Since the bridges were blown up and all the roads were damaged and destroyed, the aid simply could not reach the people in this area. A month after the war began, the villages lost power and all the people started heating their homes with wood. They survived only thanks to their cohesion and mutual assistance. The head of the district organized the feeding of people through a collective farm raising dairy cows and rams. People who could not provide for themselves were fed and distributed grain, which they then grinded on their own at a private mill and made pasta, dumplings, and baked bread in ovens. They also churned butter by hand and produced all kinds of fermented milk products. Everyone wanted to help each other and save their neighbors from starvation.
Starting in June, the people of these occupied villages were allowed to leave, and those, who wanted to and were able to, did just that. Only the pensioners, the disabled, and the ones who due to certain circumstances, illnesses, or other factors, could not leave their homes at all remained. The roads in this area are still totally destroyed, so the only way to get around is by tractor. There are scarcely any jobs to be taken. Only three shops are operating for all of these villages, with an extremely poor assortment due to the lack of supply. There are even no household chemicals on their shelves. So, naturally, the firewood, which is vitally necessary for heating homes, was out of the question.
Thanks to the efforts of our sponsors, Ukraine TrustСhain, and the volunteers of the Step with Hope International charitable foundation, 25 families were able to stay in warm, heated homes till the end of winter. The electricity supply has not been fully restored yet. Thus, the firewood heats the houses, and we are warmed by people’s grateful feedback in return.
Kherson. Our volunteers’ stories
One day we came to pick up our dryer, and then we learnt that there was a missile hit in the neighborhood. Everything burned to the ground completely. Everything was smashed. And the house was gone. The smell of burning permeated everything around. That is Kherson.
Despite all the danger of the current situation, some people keep living in the red zones. Some are even returning there from other places because they could not adapt in safer cities or could not afford to live there after the IDP payments were canceled. This week, the Kherson team of the Step with Hope International charitable foundation was called to the neighborhood, which is called “The Island”, to disinfect apartments after water flooding initiated by the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. We were asked to help them overcome harmful mold. Upon arrival, we realized that people had completely thrown away all of their belongings after the flood, locked their apartments and left. For a long time, the apartments had been “mothballed”, therefore no fresh air was getting in. The situation was better in those apartments that faced south than in those with windows only to the north.
The fight against mold and fungus ended with our victory, so the people can start to get settled in their homes again. Almost 9 months have passed since the flooding of a large part of Kherson, and we are still facing the problems caused by that disaster. We are still drying and disinfecting people’s homes. There are still many apartments that remain locked and “mothballed”, so when their owners return to them, we immediately receive new applications for assistance. In the apartments that were flooded and then closed, there is a lot of moisture and mold, and the upper floors are also affected by rats. However, our team, along with the Ukraine TrustСhain team, is doing everything to ensure that people can live in their apartments and houses to the fullest.
Donetsk region: 10 years of war
It is so rewarding for us to see the people waiting for our help receive not only humanitarian aid, but the hope for a brighter future as well. A trip to the villages of Volnovakha district, Donetsk region, proved this when people started asking us if we would be distributing seeds to plant in the ground this year. The war here has been going on for ten years, not only two, but life is stronger and so is our assurance of victory.
When we go to the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, we take everything possible to distribute. Humanitarian aid, bread, clothes, shoes, household chemicals, and diapers will always find their owners. The shelling continues, and the news is frightening, but people keep living by hope and faith, helping each other in these remarkably challenging times.
KONSTIANTYNIVKA, DRUZHKIVKA
In Konstiantynivka and Druzhkivka people are waiting for us to bring not only bread and clothes, but also some eyeglasses. We have been distributing glasses here for a long time and every time we visit more and more people are willing to get these “eye helpers”. This distribution is free of charge thanks to our sponsors, the Restoring vision company.
We would like to share the story of one family:
Valentina, had come to take care of her ill mother, but she could not leave later on as the war caught her at the doorstep. Valia lost her job and now the women’s living comes down to the mother’s small pension. The family needs adult diapers, and we will try to find them. But neither Valia nor her mother are down in the dumps, and as they say, “Bread and communication with volunteers help us to distract and give us hope for a brighter future.”
Gratitude from Kharkiv
In this post, we would like to recognize our sponsors, Ukraine TrustСhain, and share all these words of gratefulness that we hear every time we do our job:
“My name is Nadiia Ivaniva, I am 52 years old. I work and live with my husband in the village of Znamianka, Kharkiv district, Kharkiv region. On behalf of myself and my husband, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the charitable organization ICF Step with Hope as well as the Ukraine TrustСhain organization for the free loaves of bread given to us regularly every week. I would also like to wish all the people involved in this cause good health, happiness, well-being in the family, and a peaceful sky above their heads.”
“Dear sponsors! I am Marush Tetiana Ivanivna, a resident of Merefa, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to receive bread for free. I am 58 years old, but I am not yet retired, so I do not receive any governmental pension. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get a job yet either. All our family’s income is my husband’s small pension, who is retired. Thanks again, we are very much obliged for your help!”
What about Kharkiv itself? What’s happening there? Only shelling? Panic alone? Are there constant sirens? Not only that! In Kharkiv, the people communicating with our volunteers get the opportunity to hear and see something different from the horrors of war for a change. Thanks to our sponsors, Ukraine TrustСhain, we organized classes for teenagers and children who now can distract themselves from the surrounding events by beading, knitting, drawing and taking part in other types of art therapy. Free bread was distributed to all those in need.
The Dnipro expanses
Nikopol is out of water but provided with food. Unfortunately, our ambitious plans to supply Nikopol with large volumes of water did not materialize. The vehicle we were supposed to deliver the water with broke down. However, we did not lose heart and managed to distribute some food, which was also truly needed by the vulnerable population. It total, we’ve helped 105 people here.
Our beloved cozy and bright Pavlohrad has a huge team of volunteers who work day and night to help others. The volunteers here are absolutely devoted people who do everything with love. It seems to us that these people can move the mountains! This week alone, 200 kilograms of food, 400 kilograms of clothes and shoes were distributed. Imagine, things like clothes are measured here not in sizes or styles, but in kilograms! Thus, 490 people have received help, including IDPs, the disabled and other people in need.
Surely, we can’t ignore the feedback:
“My name is Nina, I have a disabled son. In addition to caring for my own my family, I also help my sister, who found herself in difficult life circumstances after a serious injury. I would like to sincerely thank the team of the ICF Step with Hope and the Ukraine TrustСhain organization for their help. You cannot even imagine how much this free bread means to us. Thank you so very much!”
This week, in addition to their planned assistance that included distributing bread and humanitarian kits, which weighed 3,000 kg, the Kryvyi Rih team provided emergency assistance to the people affected by the consequences of a military attack.
This week, a civilian house was heavily damaged by rocket fragments. People were killed and injured. Our volunteers headed out to the site and helped at the scene. Besides that, the volunteers from Kryvyi Rih traveled to villages of the Kherson region. In addition to local residents, there are also many IDPs from Kherson and Mykolaiv regions living there now. Their living conditions differ. They have no income, so having settled in an abandoned house, what improvements can they make there? It must be mentioned here, that those houses had been already uninhabited for a while and started to fall apart. We helped one family that accepted 11 newcomers in their house: three families, including children with kids of their own and their elderly parents. Most of the people we help are large families or IDPs’ families. All of them are equally grateful for the help.
The work at the volunteer center in Kamianske is in full swing. Scheduled distributions of humanitarian aid and bread, free eyeglasses and massages, hairdressing services and free lunches are followed by without words of deep gratitude.
“I, Marchuk Olena Evgeniivna, am a 68-year-old resident of Luhansk. I moved to Kamianske in 2014 to the home of my son who lives here. From time to time we used to visit our apartment in Luhansk, but it’s been almost 2 years since we went there and we have no idea whether it is intact or not. I would like to thank the sponsors for supporting us with bread, it is a great help for us, the IDPs.”
“I am Maria Nazarenko, a 74-year-old resident of Lysychansk, Luhansk region. On June 23, 2022, all of the townspeople were evacuated from Lysychansk. In the town of Kamianske I’m now renting an apartment with the people who had been hiding in the basement with me. I would like to thank the sponsors for assisting us in such ways as free eyeglasses distribution, and wish everyone to be healthy, blessed and have a peaceful sky above.”
“I am Olga Andriivna Skrypnychenko. I live alone, as my son serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I am from Luhansk region, namely from the occupied city of Kreminna. We have been in various places since we left home in 2022. Your help is exceptional. We are grateful to all the people who care and help us as it is unclear how long this whole situation will last. Let’s hope that everything will end with our victory and that Ukraine will be free. We still hope for the best, so thank you very much!”
As a result, 8250 people have received some assistance and another 9500 people received free bread.
