Vadim and his daughter hid in their cellar for a month when shells started falling over the city of Kharkiv.
As war raged across Ukraine, they eventually moved to a closed subway where they sheltered for two days before travelling east to Poltava seeking refuge. Life was difficult when they first arrived. Vadim suffers from chronic health conditions, and meeting his daughter’s needs was a daily struggle.
What gave them hope was finding practical support and a caring community at a local church that Baptist World Aid is partnering with. Within its walls on any given day, displaced families gather at tables to chat and eat a hot meal served by volunteers.
‘When we arrived in Poltava, we were invited to church to receive meals at a mobile kitchen,’ Vadim said (pictured below).
We’re thankful to the church and all caring supporters for their help. This help is significant to us.
Life-saving Assistance, Thanks To You
Over the past two years, our Partners have been tirelessly helping people like Vadim and his daughter survive the war in Ukraine.
Through the generosity of supporters who have donated to our Standing with Ukraine Appeal, we’ve been part of an alliance of Christian organisations and churches providing support to those who have been displaced from their homes, along with other vulnerable people (including for example, people with disability, large families and elderly people) who can’t meet their needs due to the economic impact of the war.
Local churches across Ukraine have played a vital role in reaching out to vulnerable people, distributing supplies like food, hygiene kits and clean water through collection centres and mobile kitchens.
In the city of Odessa, our Partner’s program was particularly timely. The local church was able to meet the needs of families who sought refuge from the Kherson region after the destruction of Kakhovka dam on 6 June, 2023, which caused widespread flooding in the area.
With your help, here’s what our Partners have provided to people impacted by the war in Ukraine:
- 326,643 litres of safe drinking water and 28,267 hygiene kits for displaced people
- Food for 16,981 people through mobile kitchens
- 345,750servings of hot meals served through local churches
- Cash assistance for 11,026 vulnerable people
This is just part of a much larger response by our Partners to support vulnerable people in Ukraine who are impacted by the war.
The Church Renowned For Its Love
Your generous donation didn’t just provide for people’s practical needs; you’ve also helped the church in Ukraine become a source of hope in tough times.
The church is now well-known as the first place displaced people can go to get help, with many people seeing the Christian community as a valuable resource for those in need. Mobile kitchens and collection centres have become places where people find encouragement and friendship.
‘People have begun to see the church as a centre for the social support for the community, rather than a place some Christians go to on Sunday,’ one Partner staff member said.
‘Thank you so very much for your continued support and for entrusting us to do this work,’ another Partner staff member said. ‘It has been challenging but presented great opportunities for growth, and most importantly, lives have been impacted in significant ways.’
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Standing With Ukraine Appeal, exemplifying what it looks like when the global church works together to show love and compassion.
As the war continues, the need is still ongoing with an estimated 3.7 million people internally displaced within the country.
Please join us in praying for the people of Ukraine:
- For a peaceful end to this war, and lasting peace in the region
- That those who are displaced or vulnerable would be able to meet their practical needs and find safe places to live
- That God would strengthen the local churches as they provide care and support
- For distribution points and storage facilities to be protected from missile hits–while some warehouses have been hit, thankfully none of the distribution points have been damaged so far.
