Two trucks with humanitarian aid sent to Lviv

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have sent two trucks with humanitarian aid to Lviv, Ukraine*, as part of winterization efforts. The aid included 7,716 pounds of hygiene products and detergents and nearly 55,000 pounds of food. From Lviv, the items will be sent to Salesian communities to distribute to people in need in different parts of Ukraine.

Cities have been bombarded by numerous kamikaze drones. Non-combatant civilians have to survive without electricity and water for days. Others have lost their homes entirely and need a warm place to stay in the cold. Many have lost employment, and with it, any ability to provide for their basic needs. People are in need of electric generators, warm clothes and portable stoves.

“Ukrainian civilians need humanitarian aid of all kinds, including social assistance. We should do everything we can including prayer and material support,” said Daniel Kotvytskyi, with the Salesian Coordination for Emergency Management.

This aid is among many efforts to help people make it through the winter. In November 2022, the Salesian-run International Volunteer Service (VIS) launched a comprehensive six-month project funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The project is helping people in Lviv, Zhytomyr and Ivankiv in the Kyiv region. These areas are home to more than 6.28 million internally-displaced persons.

The project sent mobile units to 12 villages to provide psycho-social support and distribute kits for emergency repairs to houses, particularly in Ivankiv province where 2,360 homes have been damaged. The mobile unit also distributed blankets, winter clothes, stoves and fuel. There were 1,000 hot meals cooked and delivered per day. The meals have been made possible thanks in part to the Department of Civil Defense, which has provided four field kitchens.

This project is part of the broader initiative carried out by the coordination of Salesian organizations in Germany, Italy and Poland. Salesians in Poland have been on the front lines of housing refugees and bringing supplies into Ukraine. The Polish government and city officials in Lviv have set up a modular citadel that has been housing 350 people for six months. Salesians are involved in the care of the people housed in the camp, including educational and recreational activities for children, psycho-social assistance, and distribution of hot meals.

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Sources:

Photo courtesy of SDB Emergency Response coordinator

Salesian Missions

UKRAINE: Salesians bring humanitarian aid to children

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.