Good gives hope

Project: Providing multi sectoral humanitarian assistance to the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

Stories of people

Stories of people who received help within the project, which is implemented in partnership with the international organization World Vision and the financial support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and Acted.

The stories are recorded from the words of Svitlana Butuchel, a project volunteer in the Bashtan community, Mykolaiv oblast.

An elderly man from the Kherson oblast approached the registration desk. He took the pen with his hands trembling . Excited, uneven letters jumped on the paper of a standard registration form. Column “marital status”. The men shed a single tear. The wife and daughter, who were killed by the shelling, appeared before the eyes again. His blood sugar rushed up because of his worry. The volunteers, who had probably seen this hundreds of times, helped to fill out the form, having gathered for the hundredth time, because it is impossible to get used to it. The food package was delivered to him.

But the touch of goodness revives the meaning of life. At least for the ongoing day. And it is already worth the effort. There is hope to survive in the terrible conditions in which millions of Ukrainians find themselves. And the employees and volunteers of our foundation, who have been providing material, educational, spiritual and psychological assistance to victims of emergency situations and vulnerable segments of the population since 2014, know all this very well.

A woman who came to the aid distribution point in the Mykolaiv oblast said her last goodbye to her husband a week before. And despite the pain, despair and fear, hope flared up in her eyes – “I will survive”…

At the beginning of September, another woman – the wife of a soldier who had gone missing – applied for help. There are three children in the family. The husband did not even see the last child. His wife was pregnant when he volunteered to defend Ukraine.

The woman shared that she was waiting for her lover and believed that he would return alive, and meet three children waiting at home. She smiled through her tears… But in November it became known that her husband had died.

No grocery or hygiene kit will measure up to a spouse, and a parent to children. But this is what orphaned families need every day.

And this aid encourages them: you are not alone in your grief, the feat of your relatives is not forgotten, it is highly appreciated, and there are big-hearted people near you who are ready to help you.

S.’s family was left alone during the full-scale invasion. The only son in the family was held captive. There has been no news about him for 600 days. The parents are looking forward to their son’s return. And when words of comfort are powerless – the physical embodiment of caring for someone’s lonely old parents sometimes speaks louder.

The history of the M family is impressive. During a full-scale invasion, the heads of two generations of the family — the father and the son-in-law — went to protect their family.

In Mariupol, while performing combat missions, they were held captive. Relatives have been waiting for news for a long time… Finally, the father returned from captivity. The younger man from M.’s family is still missing. His wife and three children await his return.

“This aid is really a great joy for us…” the family shares. – And also, a manifestation of human warmth, attention and care. And we lack this so much…”

People were greatly comforted by the help and words of support from the volunteers.

G.’s family is also very satisfied with the grocery and family kits. There are five children in the family. During a full-scale invasion, people were forced to leave their homes and seek shelter with their children. The project “Providing multi sectoral humanitarian aid to the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine ” provides for the distribution of individual packages for each family member, rather than one set per family.

“We didn’t even expect that each of us would receive the package! That is the first time we see this, thank you…” – family members responded enthusiastically.

This approach pleasantly impresses large families. So this next family, whose life was changed by the war, is very grateful for the essential help.

They say different things about mercy and piety. Some say it is an active desire to help anyone in need. Someone says that it is the highest form of human existence. But no matter what the definitions are, active actions are fundamental in charity. To ease someone’s suffering or trouble, to touch the soul with a good deed. After all, this is exactly what gives a person meaning in life. This is what gives hope. And sometimes it just saves.

We express our sincere gratitude to World Vision and USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance for their concern for the Ukrainian people.