“I took just a bag of clothes and ran from the bombardment.“ We help the disadvantaged people in Eastern Ukraine

She remembers the exact moment when the fighting in Donbas region started. “I was in Luhansk, when the first airplanes came. I ran to the hospital, but I was not allowed to go in, because they were evacuating the place,” she says with tears in her eyes and adds: “There is no basement in our house in Pervomaysk, so I couldn’t stay there and had to run away to Hirske.”

There was no time for preparations. “I did not manage to take anything, just grabbed one bag with clothes. Almost all of us had to run on foot. It is more than 15 km to Hirske,” she explains and emphasize that she had almost no clothes by now. She found shelter in her parents’ place in former Sovchoz (collective farm) together with 400 other people. “But the shelling continued even here and many houses are abandoned. Two bombs almost hit my parents’ house, there are still holes in the ground. The roof was also destroyed, but my brother was able to fix it,” says Anna.

The way home is cut by frontlines

Her dire situation was further complicated by the fact that she did not receive any social security benefits for more than four months. “My parents have a small garden around their house, so we were able to support ourselves somehow. We ate potatoes, tomatoes or cabbage,” says Anna. Humanitarian aid arrived only twice in many months. One delivery was organized by local authorities, the other, about six weeks ago, by the Red Cross, who distributed food packages and hygiene kits.

Anna has no idea what happened to her apartment and probably won’t be able to visit it for a long time. The road between Pervomaysk and Hirske was cut by the frontline and Pervomaysk is now in the separatist territory. “I will stay with my parents for some time. The social security benefits have started to come again and there is a hospital here,” she says. “If I get a financial grant from People in Need, I will buy food for my parents and spend the rest for an examination of my eyes,” she adds and explains that she would have to go to specialized clinic in Odessa, where she was treated before.

She shows us a thick folder with her health documentation. The doctors have changed the diagnosis many times, but no form of treatment was able to restore her worsening eyesight. If her application is accepted, she will get around 300 USD. “I am glad that you help us. It is an immense support,” says Anna and walks away towards the uncertain future in war-torn Donbas.

People in Need in Ukraine

People in Need has helped to aid eastern Ukraine since August, organizing assistance from the Slavyansk office. We provide those most in need with immediate humanitarian aid, such as food or medicine. We also help repair damaged houses, equip refugee centers, and offer food vouchers to those who need them. Since the beginning of November, People in Need has been systematically working in Donetsk and areas controlled by separatists. PIN has opened an office in the city and provides the most vulnerable people with food, medicine, toiletries, and baby diapers. On a monthly basis, we provide food to over 7,000 people. Other aid includes the support of several retirement homes, hospices, and shelters for the homeless.