While we plan to buy salt for our icy driveways, many Ukrainians are in desperate need of necessities for the upcoming winter months.
It’s important to remember that the crisis in Ukraine is ongoing. Russia continues its targeted, relentless attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. With power stations destroyed across the country, many families in Ukraine must worry about not only surviving Russian bombs, but also the freezing cold that comes with them.
Many families near the frontline, who are often overlooked, are made up of vulnerable populations with unique needs. Our Winterization Program, which assesses local needs with the help of our long-term partners on the ground, has made a significant difference in their lives. It has previously helped many families like these to stay warm and dry. In the Dnipro region, one brave woman, Marichka, has continued her work as a foster mother thanks to the heat and warm meals provided by the stoves.
“Thank you for the heating and cooking stove we received recently. I am a foster care provider; I have six children in my care. We often have power outages. Thanks to your stove, we can keep warm, and I can dry the children’s clothes because they go to school. We will be able to cook.”
Canadian children get excited about missing school when it’s too snowy to leave the house. A snow day for them means getting cozy under blankets, sipping hot chocolate, and watching a movie after a long day of playing outside in the fresh snow. For Ukrainian kids like these in Dnipro, a foot of snow means hours of being cold, hungry, and isolated from the world.
Another mother in the Dnipro region has been able to keep herself and her diabetic son with a visual impairment warm in the winter:
“I live with my son. He is a disabled person of the first group. He has diabetes and has completely lost his eyesight. Since there is a war in Ukraine, we often have power cuts. Thanks to the heating and cooking stove, we can now stay warm and warm up our home. Thank you very much!”
This year, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation is running its third annual Winterization Program through the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The program aims to equip Ukrainians for the winter months with essential supplies such as cooking and heating stoves, food, medicine, and generators.
Your donation can mean the difference between a family stranded in the cold and dark, and one that has access to the resources necessary to stay warm, dry, and fed this winter. The overwhelming response from our generous donors to the Roadburg Foundation’s matching pledge, which has already surpassed our goal of $100,000. Stay tuned for our next matching pledge coming soon—in the meantime, continue donating to ensure that more families across Ukraine have access to warmth and hot meals this coming winter.
Background
CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has been established jointly by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) to formalize a coordinated approach in providing humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to those in need in Ukraine to address any further aggression by Russia. The main efforts of cooperation are to provide humanitarian relief in the areas of assistance to displaced persons, medical care, emergency shelter and food security.