War-torn Ukraine facing winter's cold

OCTOBER 2022

Winter's cold is coming and with concentrated attacks on Ukraine's power stations, millions of families are facing a reality of living with no heat in sub-zero temperatures.

Apartments and houses in Lyman, Ukraine damaged by shelling
Apartments in Lyman heavily damaged by shelling with windows blown out and left exposed to the elements

In many towns and cities, missile and drone attacks have left apartments and houses badly damaged. Homes are left with gaping holes in their roofs and windows shattered, leaving occupants exposed to the elements and cold. With no electricity or gas, families are forced to rely on open fires outside, using scrap wood and other materials to cook and attempt to keep warm.

Nine-year-old Artem Panchenko lives in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. He lives with his grandmother in an apartment complex that's been badly damaged by repeated bombings. Recently he spoke to an Associated Press reporter as he cooked over an open fire outside his building.  

“It’s cold and there are bombings,” Artem said. “It’s really cold. I’m sleeping in my clothes in our apartment.”

Donate to MWB's Hope in Crisis program to bring aid and supplies to families struggling to rebuild their lives in Ukraine

Those who don't have the resources to leave the areas devastated by fighting are struggling day-to-day to survive. Food, water, and other supplies are scarce. Most stores have either been destroyed or only feature empty shelves, and prices of any supplies that are available have skyrocketed out of reach for most.

But there is still hope, and Mission Without Borders is there to help those that have lost everything to the war.
 

Mission Without Borders deliver emergency aid to residents in Lyman, Ukraine
Mission Without Borders staff and volunteers have been able to deliver life-saving emergency aid to residents in need in Lyman, Ukriane

Donate to help families struggling to survive as the cold of winter approaches in Ukraine

Mission Without Borders staff and volunteers are reaching towns and villages that have been liberated, delivering life-saving emergency aid, food, clothing and supplies to residents who have been living under active battle for months with no access to resources.

Mission Without Borders' Misha Vavylyuk recently led a team into the City of Lyman, in the Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine shortly after Russian troops retreated.

"There is the need literally for everything," he says. "No markets, drug stores, hospitals, institutions have not been working."
 

Families in Lyman, Ukraine are surviving without water, gas or electricity
Families are left to rebuild with no gas, water, or electricity and are forced to cook and find heat over open fires outside

Most of the people they met have lost everything, with their homes and all their belongings destroyed in the fighting. Many have been living in basements and other make-shift shelters since April, when Russian troops initially took control of the area.

“One bomb ruined everything I carefully gathered and built for the normal living," says 63 year-old Olga. "What should I do now? How can I start from the beginning?”

Misha and our team delivered food and supplies to exhausted and thankful residents. It's not a permanent solution, but it will help those in need with some essentials to address the immediate crisis.

 

Mission Without Borders delivers much needed food aid to residents of Lyman, Ukriane
With no stores and skyrocketing prices for supplies, residents are thankful for the aid and supplies provided by Mission Without Borders

Mission Without Borders has been working with and serving those in need across Ukraine for decades, and we are committed to continue helping families and individuals rebuild their lives with a long-term, multi-phased emergency response strategy.

You can help those facing the brutally cold winter months in Ukraine as they struggle to survive with a donation to the Hope in Crisis program today.
Your one-time or monthly donation will help ensure we can be there when needed to deliver emergency aid and help those impacted by the war build a better, more hopeful future.

 

 

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