UNWLA Annual Report 2022 – Care

The New Jersey Hospital Association and its member hospitals mobilized medical supplies to support Ukrainian hospitals. Tons of medical aid valued at over $1.7 million were sent to Ukraine through a cooperative effort between the UNWLA and the NJHA. We also enjoyed overwhelming support from hospital staff; some even hosted fundraisers to support Ukraine and wore blue and yellow to work. 

Our efforts also yielded $40,000 for IFAK and blood transfusion kits and other medical supplies shipped to Ukrainian hospitals in Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Bila Tserkva, and Lviv and distributed among other hospitals in need. 

Orthopedic external fixators and wound vacs (vacuum-assisted closure systems) were the top priority in terms of medical equipment for Ukrainian hospitals.

External fixators keep a fractured bone stabilized and in alignment. It heals appropriately, minimizing the risk of lifelong disability or further costly surgeries. Wound vac machines cover even the most gaping wound and, by creating a vacuum over it, speed up the healing process and prevent infections. Other aid includes an encephalography machine, hematology analyzers, a neuro machine, portable oxygen concentrators, PPE, and other medical equipment.

Association Internationale de Cooperation Medicale, AICM-Ukraine, was established in 2006 by a team of doctors from France to provide assistance to cancer patients in Ukraine. AICM now aids thousands of vulnerable communities in five Ukrainian oblasts, many of them in hard-to-reach locations or recently liberated territories. 

The Babusi Fund is a long-established initiative that provides moral and financial support to elderly women in Ukraine who have no family. At Christmas or Easter, the UNWLA sends nearly 500 such women — members of the All Ukrainian Society of Political Prisoners and Repressed People — a personal greeting and a small financial gift.

Way to Life, an organization providing aid to the community in Lutsk, primarily supports internally displaced persons and the vulnerable.  The UNWLA initially endorsed the transformation of a basement into a community gym. With the escalation of the war, the gym was transformed, in part, into a shelter for those escaping active combat regions. The UNWLA continues to support the group’s efforts, including providing twice-weekly meals for up to 250 people without a permanent home.  

Dzherelo Center is a rehabilitation and school facility in Lviv for children, youth, and young adults with moderate to severe physical and cognitive disabilities. Similar centers throughout Ukraine now model its state-of-the-art practices. The UNWLA has supported the program since 2017.

Rodyna-Ukraine in Kyiv provides camp opportunities for children living through the challenges of war. Two-week programs feature games, workshops, and counseling with trained staff. The UNWLA provided a one-time grant in August 2022.

Ukraine Trustchain used grant funds provided by UNWLA to set up warming centers. These were key in keeping the residents and internally displaced persons warm. Their teams and partners purchased generators and materials, including stoves. All these were set up in southern and eastern Ukraine, where combat damaged or destroyed the infrastructure.

Caritas Ukraine was established by local Catholic communities in 1992 after Ukraine declared independence. The UNWLA has partnered with Caritas Ukraine since October 2022, providing cash grants and funds for 200 wood stoves, food and hygiene kits, and housing repairs.  

Someone Prays for You, organized by Ukrainian Canadian artist Taras Polataiko, started as a collective photo series showcasing works of art by elderly Ukrainian artists from Chernivtsi. The project raises funds for soldiers in special operational units. The UNWLA contributed to the project by funding boots, winter clothing, generators, and non-military goods.

Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Garrison Church has had the support of the UNWLA since 2017. Father Taras Mychalchuk of the Saints Peter and Paul Ukrainian Greek Catholic Garrison Church has organized many summer and winter programs for children and families of war survivors. They include games, sports, workshops, and spiritual reflection. The “‘Always Close” initiative was launched in November 2022 to provide respite for children during this time of war.

Father Yuriy Ostapyuk heads the Student Chaplaincy program in Lviv.  Students from universities and technical schools are invited to participate in the program, where they are taught the skills needed to work with children of diverse abilities. As the students learn skills, they can reflect on their own needs and coping mechanisms. The student chaplains serve as camp counselors during the summer.

Harmonia is an orphanage based in the Kharkiv region. In February 2022, the children were evacuated to a facility in Chernivtsi. The UNWLA provided a one-time grant in April 2022.

Since 2014 the Lviv Region Medical Corps has been assisting the Ukrainian army by collecting and delivering critically needed supplies and humanitarian aid to the front lines. Their diverse care efforts include preparing baked goods and meals, sewing fleece fabrics into vests, and crocheting netting into camouflage needs. The UNWLA began to partner with the LRM Corps in 2021, providing funding for first aid, clothing, and other supplies for internally displaced persons.

Led by Father Yuriy Yurchyk, a group of Zaporizhzhia Community volunteers began supporting the army’s non-military needs with warm clothing, boots, and sleeping bags, despite the surrounding occupation and combat. Although this is a new partnership for the UNWLA, a church renovation led by Father Yurchyk in Severodonetsk several years ago was also funded by the UNWLA.  Sadly, the church was recently destroyed by bombing.

Father Roman Prokopecj is the director of Tsentr Opiky Syrit, an orphan care center in Lviv.  Summer camps and “winter school” sessions have created opportunities for children to recuperate physically and mentally. Since the escalation of the war, the children have been transferred to Poland. The center now serves as a shelter for internally displaced families, mostly mothers and their children. 

Childhood Without War is a program dedicated to evacuating and protecting Ukrainian children lacking parental care. The program includes daily medical and dental care, education, and leisure at its shelter in Turkey. The program began with 850 young participants and currently serves 2,700 children. The UNWLA started to support the program in March 2022. 

Kherson Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation is an orphanage serving children aged 3 to 17. The UNWLA provided a one-time grant in August 2022.