September 21, 2023
56,034 people evacuated from danger to date
191 people evacuated from danger this week
41 trips into the deoccupied and frontline territories
Lately, we have been meeting with volunteer leaders in person and remotely to assess the likely scenarios for the coming winter and ways we could help. Overall, the feedback we received has been remarkably consistent. The unanimous consensus is that the winter of 2023 will be harder than that of 2022. Volunteers see an increase in the number and the destructiveness of Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure, and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in several frontline regions.
To prepare, UTC is implementing a number of projects aimed at procuring winter aid items, such as firewood and generators, before the seasonal price increases in the coming months. Meanwhile, we continue to help frontline communities and refugees across Ukraine. Because some of these expenses are going to be front-loaded, we continue to ask our community for help in spreading the word about the amazing work of Ukrainian volunteers.
Stories
Evacuations: Notes from Our Chat with Evacuation Teams
“Sending our weekly report. Looks like the situation is growing more tense… There was a very noticeable increase in the number of shelling with heavy weaponry, such as S-300, FAP-500 and MLRS. There were more bombardments of cities and villages, and the number of simultaneous strikes increased as well. People feel acute danger, worry about the heat in the coming season, whether they’ll have water and power. We feel people are tense about the winter, are looking for backup plans for where to spend the winter and are moving to ‘safer’ places. The demand for food has grown but not critically, though people are stocking up for the winter. “
Thanks to Natalia Family Reconnects with Long-lost Relative in Siversk
One of the videos from Siversk that Natasha Mitsuta posted last week was especially powerful. An elderly woman, her face and hair smudged in dirt, thanked Natlia for her help. From the way she spoke, it was clear she was well-educated, but losing herself in this war. This contrast between her look and speech was stark and triggering. After the video picked up views on tiktok, the woman’s niece showed up in the comments section. She said the family had been looking for her all year, not knowing whether she was alive. Natalia reached out to the volunteers operating the kitchen in Siversk. They found the woman and connected her to the family. The family tried to persuade to evacuate, but so far she refuses to leave her hometown despite the horrific conditions there. But we hope she will be persuaded. Natalia is planning another trip into the area soon.
Natalia in Siversk
Flood Relief: Disinfections
Ever since the destruction of Kakhovka Dam we continued to provide flood relief services in and around Kherson. The process is complicated and exhausting. Perhaps the hardest part of the process is spraying disinfectants. To disinfect a basement our volunteers wear hazmat suits with containers of extremely toxic chemicals on their backs. Basements are narrow and dark, full of debris and loose wires that make it easy to fall, tear clothing or damage the hoses. Any contact of the chemical with the skin or eyes produce chemical burns. Despite these risks, our volunteers continue to disinfect 10+ spaces weekly. Below you can see the four generations of face masks they’ve worn throughout this process.
Operations in Occupied Territories
290 families received help in 5 occupied cities of Ukraine. 15 individuals with disabilities were evacuated from the Russian-occupied left bank. One woman was experiencing kidney failure and would have died within a week if dialysis had not been provided. Another evacuee had fractures in both legs.
US Team
Over the weekend, our community had a chance to meet in person with Dina, the founder of Vilny Lyudi-Vilna Kraina. We reminisced about the first days of volunteering and working together, talked about current needs and preparing for the winter ahead, and raised money through a silent auction. Ukraine TrustChain would like to thank Cafe Bar Smetana for allowing us to use their cozy space and providing us with delicious food and drinks! Thank you to all the sponsors of the event, and to everyone who came out to show support! And a special thanks to Dina who traveled such a long way to connect with us in person. We cannot wait to celebrate the victory together in free and independent Ukraine!
Team summaries
Ihor Dobra Sprava (“Good Cause”)
176 people evacuated. Team made 16 trips to Lyman, Slovyansk, Mykolaivka, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Kostyantynivka, Toretsk and Kherson.
Inna’s Team
26.7 tons of aid distributed to 8650 people.
9,500 people received bread.
Flood Relief Operations in Kherson:
Performed disinfection in 11 spaces, 5 of them in large highrise basements
Pumped water out of three structures.
Installed one dehumidifier
Refueled 17 generators, changed oil in 3
The team delivered 150 packages of food, water and hygienic products to Berislav.
140 families received help in Kramatorsk and Mykolaivka, Donetsk region.
Delivered water to Marhanets and Nikopol.
Oleksandr D’s Volunteer Networks
Pavlo V (Dnipro): delivered 1,500 grocery sets and 550 loaves of bread to the Kryvyi Rih district as well as 750 kg of grocery sets and 700 loaves of bread to other locations in the Dnipropetrovsk Region.
Oleksandr S (Boyarka): supplied 34 people in the Kyiv Region with adult diapers and delivered 1.5 tons of potatoes and onions. Brought 8 specialized beds for bedridden people to the Chernihiv and Cherkasy Region.
Vladyslav K (Mykolaiv): transported 35 tons of drinking water to Mykolaiv and 7 tons of water from Mykolaiv to Kherson.
Sandra S (Odesa): kitchen fed more than 1,800 people, including those who are sick, bedridden, or have many children and need food delivered to them.
Andryi P (Chernivtsi): transported an ambulance loaded with 600 kg of humanitarian aid from Germany to Kyiv. The ambulance was handed over to an international charity involved in evacuating wounded from the front lines. Delivered 20 tons of humanitarian aid from Chernivtsi to Mykolaiv for further distribution to villages in the Mykolaiv and Kherson Regions.
Oleksandr Z (Lutsk): held 4 art therapy sessions for 59 children with disabilities, children from large families, children from military families and internally displaced (IDP) children. Provided wheelchairs to 6 people with disabilities, including those who suffered a stroke during evacuation or while living under Russian shelling.
NGO Light of Christ (Lutsk): brought 1,250 kg of energy bars and muesli, 4 toilet seats for people with disabilities and 1 wheelchair from Germany to Lutsk for further distribution. Helped IDPs from Izium with 5 tons of firewood.
NGO Angelia
NGO Angelia, 9/5-9/15/23: Delivered 30 boxes and bags of clothes to Ivano-Frankivsk, wheelchairs to the rehabilitation center in Lviv, 20 school boards to Kyiv, wheelchairs and 40 walkers to Kamianske (Dnipropetrovsk Region), 60 boxes of clothes, bed linens and diapers and 3,200 packages of milk to Kramatorsk (Donetsk Region), 1,600 packages of milk to Sloviansk (Donetsk Region). Took 5,300 kg of medical equipment from Sloviansk to Chernivtsi for repair.
Kseniia’s Team - NGO Livyj Bereh
7 roofs completed at Slatyne, Tsupivka and Prudianka.
Kherson based team delivered 120 school supply kits to children living in villages near Kherson.
Provided aid packages to 40 families in Pryozerne near Kherson.
Team traveled to Boromlia near Sumy and signed the final paperwork completing Boromlia school repair after testing the heating equipment.
Karina - We Save Dnipro
65 people in the shelter.
47 packages of aid delivered to Nikopol and 15 to Marhanets.
Tetiana’s Team - Dopomoha Poruch
Distributed 150 aid packages in Hlukhiv, Sumy region.
Distributed 90 aid packages to elderly and people with disabilities in Smila via the department of social services.
Provided food and household goods to an orphanage in Mykhailivka, Cherkassy region.
Timur’s Team-Timur and Team
Delivered 250 packages to Kivsharivka, Kupyansk region, near the front line. The team has been delivering there for most of a year, but lately the danger has increased.
150 packages were delivered to Kurylivka, a small settlement where only the elderly remain, most of whom were children during WWII.
Distributed 150 packages to Tishki, right outside Kharkiv.
Pavel and Olena - Touch of Heart and Dawn of Hope
Provided food packages to 2,176 people.
Delivered 4.5 tons of water to Kobzartzi and Novopavlivske.
Trips to Ofanasivka and Yuryivka delivering 240 pairs of shoes and 200 pairs of jeans to children there as well as school kits.
Andriy - BF Pomahaem
2 trips to Pryozerne in the Kherson region. Delivered 460 large hygienic products packages (50 lbs each).
The team held a ceremony awarding “Inspirational Grants” aimed to help 70 refugee children continue with their hobbies and passions ranging from various sports to painting and music.
Team was also busy moving the office to a new location in Dnipro last week.
Marina – Good Give Ukraine
Marina's team received an award as the best Community Based Organization from Piatykhatky city.
Sent 36 food sets to help people affected by the war in various parts of Ukraine.
In Zhovti Vody, distributed 114 food and hygiene sets to support the local community.
Dina - Vilni Liudy – Vilna Krayina
Distributed 928 aid packages in the regular towns.
Mailed 100 packages of aid to people in small towns.
Distributed birthday gifts to 48 children in Kremenchuk.
Delivered aid in the form of clothes, shows, diapers for children and adults, pet food to the town of Parkhomivka near Krasnokutsk.
Sergey T traveled to 9 towns in the Izyum region delivering 270 packages of aid. One of the towns had only 2 residents, and two of them had 3.
Bogdan - Vse robymo sami
Bogdan's organization provided food packages to 42 families this week.
The children's NGO "We do it ourselves" had a busy week, continuing its various activities, including emotional support and art classes.
The children also enjoyed a trip to the theater, took part in Aikido, gymnastics, and sports games.
Volunteers, parents and kids from Bogdan’s organization participated in a local community clean-up event.
Alena - NGO Virgo
The repair team in Kherson continues operating, this week repairing 3 homes and overall having helped 200 households by now.
How to Help
Donate - The money goes directly to teams providing aid on the ground, who respond dynamically to the most urgent needs.
Fundraise - Organize fundraisers at your school, work, place of worship, with friends and family, etc.
Spread the word - Share our website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn with your friends, family, and colleagues.
Fill out this form if you’re interested in volunteering with us, and we’ll let you know when opportunities come up.
Download and print our flyer. Ask your local coffee shop if you can add it to the bulletin, or use it as part of your fundraiser.