The Impacted Population of Luhans’ka and Donets’ka Oblasts is one of the Chief Concerns of Zaporizhzhya Volunteers

The volunteers of Zaporizhzhya City Aid Center have truly become a team of “Guardian Angels” for people who were forced to leave their homes and moved to safer places. The volunteers’ organizers are densely scribbled with plans on weekly trips to the settlements that are situated at the border line with the zone of anti-terrorist operation.

One of the latest trips has been organized to villages of Podlesnoe in Luhans’ka oblast and Krasnohorovka in Donets’ka oblast. Around 15 000 people, mostly senior citizens, reside in these settlements. As always, our key priorities at distributing the aid are disabled people and other vulnerable groups of population.

“This time our trip to Luhans’ka oblast was particularly difficult; it took us almost 6,5 hours to cover the distance of 350 km”, – say the volunteers. The traffic in the outskirts was hindered due to the bumpy roads.

The response measures for the citizens of the visited settlements included the distribution of 400 packages of foodstuffs and 400 kits of hygiene kits, while the total scope of the humanitarian aid to the population in Luhans’ka and Donets’ka oblasts has already overweighed 70 tons since summer 2014.

Andrey Moskalenko, a minister of the Lisichansk Christian church “Blagodat” (“Grace”), was one of those who responded to the calling of his fellow countrymen for help. In a mutual effort with his friend, Andrey set up a local distribution point. The church members often come to help willingly with the distribution and other activities. Andrey shared that they were led by the compassion towards people who ended up destitute, and above all – by their faith in God.

“Oftentimes people’s reaction comes to be so emotional that they cannot find words to express themselves”, says Andrey, “the aged people do not hide tears – they cannot believe that they are not forgotten and neglected”.

Now the volunteers pursue an idea of finding opportunities for accommodation of single mothers with small children, who do hope that with resettling to the neighboring and quiet areas they will be secured from hostile encroachments.