The war in Ukraine grinds on through its third year, seemingly forgotten by many in the west as the press moves on to the next thing. The people of that land are still suffering and struggling to survive. I have been involved with a small grass roots organisation (www.aidukrainedirect.com) who have been involved from the early days of the war taking aid and supporting people on the ground, providing aid and support where able. I have just returned from their 23rd aid convoy. We took about 4 tons of aid, a mixture of food parcels, clothing, bedding and toiletries along with about 150 ‘trauma teds’ (featured image), teddies lovingly knitted to bring a smile to the faces of kids (and adults) who are living in the midst of such trauma.
Whatever is taken is always at the request of those who distribute the aid and is provided/donated from the UK.
We travel across Europe in our vehicles loaded with supplies to a village in the southeast corner of Poland on the Ukraine border. The goods are then palletised and shipped across Ukraine by the ‘Ukraine postal service’ to paster Volodomir in Kremunchuk which is in Southeast Ukraine close to the front lines. This town acts as a staging post for refugees fleeing the fighting and the destruction of their homes and property, often arriving with nothing. So; the food parcels, clothing and bedding are very welcome! The aid is always given out with a gospel message and offers of prayer and support and is warmly received. Most of these refugees are housed in converted building, often in dormitories and so home comforts are few and far between. They love a hand knitted blanket, a ‘trauma ted’ and many other small personal gifts as it gives the message ‘someone cares’.
Whilst at the border we also met up with a local person who travels to the front lines to distribute aid and some of the stories he told of life there were heart wrenching – of the ‘geriatric unit’ on the top floor of the now deserted hospital, which is still inhabited by about a dozen old people as they have no where else to go and have become dependant on aid visits to survive. Of the grandmothers who are clinging on to life in their now ruined cherished family homes as they ‘were born there and lived all their lives there’ and have nowhere else to go, dependent on aid as they barely exist. Of the devastating impact of enemy drones – which are looking for any evidence of aid/support to the local people and will deliberately target it – humanitarian aid vehicles have been targeted directly and our friends have been shot at several times and so they now cover up any evidence on the vehicles that it is aid. The Ukrainians love our UK right hand drive vehicles, as snippers and drones will target the driver when shooting but UK vehicles have the driver on the other side!
Please continue to pray for our friends and fellow human beings caught up in this nearly forgotten conflict – only the other day I was telling someone about my trip and they said ‘Oh I thought the war there was over, we never hear about it’!
