We went to a shelter/distribution point in eastern Ukraine that is run by the deputy of the city council. Most of the aid they get is just donations from local people, and, as you can see in this video, there’s often not much food there.
This lady often spends her own money or gathers some from her deputy friends to buy food for the IDP’s (internally displaced people). There are close to 15,000 IDPs in Pavlograd who arrived from Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
She said they find shelter for them wherever they can. Rent prices have gone from $1,500/month pre-war to $7-8,000/month. Most people can’t afford that, and so often there are 10-15 people in one small apartment. They were able to arrange with the council to clean out empty apartments where the previous owner died, or drug dealers squatted in and give those to IDP’s. These places have no appliances and are in terrible shape.
She also mentioned that often up to seven people use the same toothbrush, and up to ten people use the same towel. They could really take anything and everything, food, bedding, hygiene items etc. We sent in a team with a load of food and she was really, really grateful for our help.
This is what your prayers and your financial support helps us do. Thank you for sharing the burden! It makes a difference for so many people who lost everything that they have.
