In our humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine, we focus on serving the vulnerable populations, most often – women and children. Some of the projects we are involved in stem from our long-lasting relationships with social welfare centers and organizations operating in Ukraine and the US.
Humanitarian Aid
Over $105 000 was sent to AICM Ukraine. Our trusted partner works tirelessly to supply towns isolated by intense shelling with medicines, food parcels, hygienic kits, generators, and drinking water. Today AICM is helping repair homes in the hardest-hit cities like Chernihiv in northeast Ukraine.
MEEST’s Food Boxes program enabled us to send 80 child’s boxes directly to Ukraine. Each box has enough nutritious food to last for two weeks. We have also supported Dzherelo’s work with 700 children with disabilities, providing each child with individual food and hygiene kit.
Caring For Orphaned Children
UNWLA provides funding to support over 1500 Ukrainian orphans. Since February 24th, our aid has focused on evacuating and sustaining the orphanages, many of which are severely understaffed.
A $2,000 transfer went to the Otchyi Dim orphanage in Pokrovsk. Children were safely evacuated to Germany. Harmony Orphanage has received a $5,500 grant: staff and children have settled in Chernivtsi. We also rallied the community to send funding to Ivano-Frankivsk so caregivers could provide nutritional meals for orphaned toddlers and infants evacuated from Kharkiv. Our Branch 140 also raised $20,000 to support the Misto Dobra center in Ivano-Frankivsk, which stretches beyond capacity to help displaced and socially vulnerable women, children, and the elderly.
Over $5,700 went to support the Kherson Orphanage, and UNWLA also sent a grant of $3,000 to help an orphanage in Brovary (the Kyiv region.) Besides aiding orphanages and family centers in Ukraine, we have also stepped up our efforts for the Childhood Without War campaign to support children and their caregivers evacuated to Antalya, Turkey. Our organization-wide call yielded more than $30,000 to keep kids’ nutritional, educational, and other needs.
Relief for Displaced People
Before the war, UNWLA funded the sports equipment for a community gym in Lutsk. Since the beginning of the war, we supported the conversion of the sports center into a shelter for the displaced people of Ukraine. Volunteers also prepare hot meals for approximately 100 people experiencing homelessness and need per day.
UNWLA continues sponsoring summer and winter camps for displaced children. UGCC and student volunteers will staff programs this year, serving over 150 children from the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas.
Letters of Love
UNWLA helped distribute care letters from the Kiwanis Club of Martin County in Florida and the James A. Foshay Learning Center in California. US school kids wanted to let Ukrainian kids know that there are children thousands of miles away who are thinking about them.