Fida is preparing to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is causing a humanitarian emergency. Employees of Fida’s partner churches reported on Thursday morning that water has been cut off in the town of Šostka, 40 kilometres from the Russian border in northern Ukraine, and fuel will soon run out. People are panicking, a lot of people have nowhere to go.
Fida is launching an emergency aid fundraiser for Ukraine.
Help and donate: UKRAINE AID or Mobile Pay 46003
The humanitarian situation in Ukraine has been difficult for eight years and has worsened continually. There are almost a million internally displaced people in the country. The UN has estimated that 2.9 million people will need emergency aid in Ukraine this year. The fear is that the war will cause more and more people to become refugees.
In many places there is already a shortage of water and fuel, electricity has been cut, and the poorest families are running out of food. A lot of poverty already existed in Ukraine before the conflict. For example, Roma communities living on the margins of society are already in a vulnerable position: infrastructure is poor, homes are heated with wood, and food aid is important, especially during the winter months.
Fida employee Kirsi Hekkala: “The poorest may not know what is happening”
Fida works in the regions of Carpathia in western Ukraine, and Sumy (Sumskaja) in northern Ukraine. Work through local churches in the area includes children’s camps,
Sunday schools, women’s groups, and food aid in poor Roma communities. Fida’s employees, Kirsi and Veikko Hekkala live in Uzhhorod, western Ukraine, sent by the Nurmijärvi Pentecostal church in Finland. They are now in at home in Keuruu, Finland, but keep in touch with their local colleagues in Ukraine daily.
– Especially in northern Ukraine, people are panicking, right next to the Russian border. Those who can, have fled. A lot of people don’t have a place to run to. Our partners are ready to help. Our task now is to encourage our Ukrainian friends and pray for them. They have told us that our support means a lot in this situation. It is important for them to hear that they are not alone,” Kirsi Hekkala says in this morning’s report. According to Hekkala, there is a lot of uncertainty in remote communities in rural areas. For example, illiterate people may not know what is happening and how to act.
– Our partners feel encouraged and are ready to help.
Fida is preparing to respond to the humanitarian distress of the Ukrainians. Emergency aid, such as food, shelter, firewood, or hygiene supplies, will be provided with the collected funds. Fida has several cooperation organisations through which assistance can be delivered, such as European Church networks, and humanitarian aid organisation networks. We are investigating where the need is the greatest and what we can do together with our partners to help those in need. We need your input and support so that we can help.
Remember the Ukrainian people with prayers!
