People in Need provides aid for 496 children, who have fled fighting in the Ukraine. Further funds were released from the Club of Friends Humanitarian Fund
Published: Aug 18, 2014 Reading time: 4 minutes
Svyatogorsk (Eastern Ukraine), 18th of August, 2014 – People in Need (PIN) has distributed baby formula and diapers to 496 children in Svyatogorsk in Eastern Ukraine. The little spa town is flooded by a daily influx of thousands of refugees from the bombarded cities of Gorlovka, Yenakievo, Donetsk and other places in the Luhansk region. They often carry just a few basic belongings and children’s nutrition or diapers are critically needed. Many of the refugees are living in schools, dormitories or former summer camps. People in Need has dispatched three humanitarian coordinators to Eastern Ukraine and we are planning additional humanitarian activities. Due to the severe nature of the crisis, we have released another one million CZK from our Club of Friends Fund.
The People in Need coordinator distributed the aid together with the crisis team of the Svyatogorsk city administration. „Every mother was provided with thirty diapers, one box of children’s porridge, one or two jars of nutritional supplement and a packet of biscuits. Mothers who are not breastfeeding were each provided with one box of baby formula,“ says Tomáš Vlach, PIN coordinator in Eastern Ukraine. „Disposable diapers are especially needed because of the utility water shortage in Svyatogorsk,“ he adds.
One of the recipients of the aid package was Ira, mother of 1-month old Viktoryi, who has recently fled from Gorlovka. Before the conflict, she stayed at home and her husband worked as a miner. The conflict was already in progress when their son was born, but they did not think about the danger around them. However, the situation deteriorated in August. „First, we heard shooting in the distance, then it got closer and then the grenades were falling directly into Gorlovka. The frontline is moving from one end of the city to the other and we do not know who is in control. But the shooting continues,“ explains Ira.
We packed a few things and fled
„We were worried about our baby’s safety. We packed a few things and left,“ says Ira. They found shelter in one of the former sanatoriums in Svyatogorsk, which are now flooded by refugees. They were lucky, because the admission of refugees was stopped shortly after their arrival. There are thousands of them in the city.
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Ira is in Svyatogorsk since 8th of August. She has no money, because the wages and state benefits cannot be withdrawn from closed banks. „You have no idea how much this helps. Thanks you to all those who are helping us,“ says Ira while holding the aid package for her baby and other two small children. But the aid will last for a few days only. „What would help us most? Well, as you can imagine – we would like to go home, but it is not possible for now.“
So far, our coordinator has distributed 80 packets of baby formula, 450 packets of children’s porridge, 450 packs of biscuits, 900 jars of nutritional supplements and 310 packets of baby diapers. We are planning further distributions of aid for children, sleeping mats for hospitals, but also food coupons or small financial donations for the most vulnerable people.
In the following days and months, People in Need will focus mostly on aid for refugees (distribution of material and food aid, support of refugee centers), assistance for returning refugees (house repairs and replacement of destroyed property) and we will try to deliver medical aid to the areas where the fighting continues.
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PIN’s aid in Ukraine
People in Need has already allocated one million Czech crowns from the SOS Ukraine fundraising campaign to lend assistance to the Ukraine. Moreover, 500,000 CZK has been released from the People in Need Club of Friends Relief Fund. The organization provided much-needed help after the February protests in Kyiv, when the emergency medical team treated almost 80 injured. Apart from that, People in Need coordinated the evacuation of the seriously wounded and their transportation to the Czech Republic. In total, 39 patients were transported and treated in Czech hospitals.
Currently, People in Need is helping by making one-off contributions towards medical treatment of those wounded in Kyiv, but also to those from the East of Ukraine. Working with a Ukrainian non-governmental organization E+, People in Need has compiled a list of people requiring immediate help and this is being constantly updated on the basis of real needs. Hence, People in Need will contribute to the provision of medical treatment of approximately 150 wounded people. In the recent few weeks, we have focused our activities on Eastern Ukraine and the Club of Friends fun has already provided more than 1,5 million CZK. Thank you!
For more information please contact:
Tomáš Vlach, Humanitarian Aid Coordinator in Eastern Ukraine, +380505998827 Tomas.Vlach@clovekvtisni.cz
Ondřej Nádvorník, PIN Desk Officer for Ukraine, +420 734 428 340, Ondrej.Nadvornik@clovekvtisni.cz
Marek Štys, PIN Relief Programmes Director, +420 777 053 522, Marek.Stys@clovekvtisni.cz