B y mid-October 2022 there was already snow on the ground in parts of Ukraine and winter temperatures were set to fall as low as -20°C. Ukrainians looked ahead to the cold, harsh winter with deep concern, especially as an estimated 15.7 million remain in need of humanitarian assistance. 

Barnabas Aid has continued the work of reaching Ukrainians suffering desperately from the ongoing conflict, helping thousands through the winter hardship.

Thanks to your generous donations, we have delivered wood-burning stoves to provide warmth and a heat source for cooking to those who would otherwise be left in the bitter cold. Food and medical aid continues to be dispatched from our .gives warehouse in Swindon, UK, to meet urgent needs. Yet as this magazine reaches you, the coldest months in Ukraine – January and February – are yet to come.

Providing winter warmth

“We are very, very thankful for all the aid and help that you have given us,” one of our church partners in Ukraine told us. 

Our partners have been helping to distribute around 700 stoves that are benefiting more than 1,000 families in need (approximately 4,000 individuals). Because of the widespread power cuts and energy shortages caused by the conflict, many families are now living under the same roof to pool the scarce resources they have. 

“Without your help and generosity, most of our brothers and sisters would have had to spend this winter in the cold and dark,” our partner added. “But thanks to your donations, more than 1,000 families will be kept warm and have a source for cooking food this winter.

“Thanks for your love. May God bless you all and give you peace.”

Radu, a local pastor, expressed his gratitude to Barnabas supporters. “From the Church and from all of us that are still living here, we want to thank you for the help that you provide.

“We thank you for the stoves that are already arrived here, and for all the food packs, and mostly for your sacrificial hearts at these difficult times. For all this we give thanks to you and to God.”

Meeting medical needs

Both the conflict and the onset of winter are leading to an increase in medical needs across Ukraine, and further demands on the Ukrainian healthcare system. Hospitals, under great operational pressure, are further suffering from a shortage of medical supplies and equipment. Through our recently launched medical.gives programme, Barnabas Aid is making a vital contribution to easing this pressure.

Our Christian partners on the ground have seen an increase in war-wounded patients with burns and blast injuries requiring amputation. Only a few months ago the Ukrainian Ministry of Health described a real need for wheelchairs.

In response to this need, and thanks to your donations, we have shipped a donation of 1,176 wheelchairs – worth approximately £200 ($248; €232) each – to Ukraine. “We are sincerely thankful,” said the head of one hospital in Lviv. “We are sure that everyone using the donated wheelchairs will be thinking of you with gratitude.”

Thanks to further donations from a Western government, we will soon be distributing another consignment of medical and other vital equipment to Ukraine. This includes 118 first aid kits, 75 defibrillators, more than 1,000 medical sample carriers, 134 battery-powered floodlights, 219 20-litre water carriers, 196 boilers for purifying water, and 160 fire extinguishers. As well as this, three 40-foot lorries filled with hand sanitiser, donated by a UK-based company, will also soon be delivered.   

Delivering vital supplies of food

Before the onset of winter, almost 350 tonnes of food and other practical aid had already been sent to those suffering from the ongoing conflict, including those displaced within Ukraine and those who had fled for refuge in neighbouring countries. 

Aid – including food, clothing, blankets, nappies, sanitary and hygiene products – was delivered to the region from Barnabas donors in Canada, New Zealand and the United States, while our .gives warehouse in the UK was filled with your generous donations that we have delivered by lorry to needy Ukrainians. Through our .gives programmes, Barnabas Aid created a supply line for our suffering brothers and sisters, direct from your home to the warzone.

Now another 11 pallets of food and other aid have been loaded at our UK warehouse and sent on their way to Ukraine. This practical support will prove vital as the long, dark winter continues and further supplies of food are needed.