For most Canadians, it’s difficult to imagine having to worry about our children starving or succumbing to hypothermia. For many Ukrainian mothers, this is their current reality.
Meet Antonina Ostapenko and her family. Their home village was five kilometres from the Sumy region’s border with Russia. In 2022, their village came under Russian occupation, forcing them to flee to Krasnopillia—a town slightly farther away but still dangerously close to the frontline.
In September 2024, Russia launched an attack on the Ostapenko family’s new town of Krasnopillia, killing one person and injuring five others. Civilian infrastructure was targeted via guided aerial bombs and damaged 15 homes; for those who already have so little, attacks like these take away resources they might have to help them get through the cold, brutal winter.
Russia’s attacks aren’t stopping. Ukrainians continue to lose part or all of their homes, exposing them to the dangers of the cold. In addition to fearing for her life due to Russian bombs, Antonina had to worry about her young baby and toddler becoming dangerously cold. Our Winterization Program efficiently supplies Ukrainians near the frontlines with essentials like wood-burning stoves, food boxes, and medications to help them through the winter months. With the family’s new wood-burning stove, Antonina has peace of mind knowing she can keep her little ones warm and fed.
With your overwhelming support this week, we exceeded our goal of $100,000 for the Roadburg Foundation’s matching pledge to our Winterization campaign. Your enthusiasm and commitment are truly inspiring, and we cannot thank you enough for your support. Each one of your donations has made twice the impact this week in helping us keep Ukrainians warm this winter. Due to the overwhelming response we received from our generous donors, we are excited to announce one of our biggest opportunities yet to double your impact! The Myhal Family Foundation is raising the bar higher and is pledging to match $1,000,000 of donations made to CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal’s Winterization Campaign through October 31st. With this incredible opportunity, you can share the blessing of warmth and light with countless families in Ukraine.
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.
The Myhal Family Foundation was created by George and Rayla Myhal to assist in supporting causes within Canada that are Health and Education based. The foundation has worked with numerous hospitals in the GTA as well as educational institutions to help support, create and upgrade existing facilities and programs for the betterment of Canadians as a whole. Their work with the Ukrainian community has been extensive.