For residents of frontline villages in the Kherson region, where the war has destroyed infrastructure and jobs, the onset of winter is a critical test. The village of Novopavlivka, which still has no gas supply, faced the problem of how to survive without expensive fuel.
Ms. Galina, a single resident of the Velykooleksandrivska community in the village of Novopavlivka, was one of those whose winter was saved by the charity organization Shchedryk, together with the Estonian Refugee Council and the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund (UHF). The woman was able to receive 5.26 cubic meters of firewood delivered directly to her home.
«Life in our village is very difficult because there is no gas supply and no jobs. To get through the winter, we need firewood or coal, which is very expensive for me. Almost all my money goes on medicine. So I am grateful to charitable foundations (note: the charity organization Shchedryk, the Estonian Refugee Council, and the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine (UHF)) for their invaluable help. I am especially grateful that they put everything together for me, because I cannot do it myself», — says Ms. Galina.
For elderly people such as Ms. Galina, the shortage of resources is exacerbated by the lack of funds not only to purchase fuel, but also to store it. Targeted assistance from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF) covered both aspects.
Kateryna, a resident and manager of the aid distribution point in Novopavlivka, confirms the critical situation in the village, which is home to about 350 people, including 54 children and approximately 100 pensioners.
«We were without electricity for eight months (from 2022 to 2023) and were surrounded by blackouts. We have stove heating. We still don’t have drinking water—only technical water. Funds bring us bottled drinking water, and we are very grateful for that. But there is still an urgent need for food, hygiene products, and medicine, because we don’t even have a medical center. To get to the district center, you need to rent a car for 600 hryvnia, and public transportation only runs twice a week and has a limited number of seats. Delivering firewood to our pensioners is a real blessing.», – Kateryna noted.
The charity organization Shchedryk, together with the Estonian Refugee Council and with financial support from the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund (UHF), is covering the heating needs of households living in rural areas and suburbs of the Kherson region.
To date, solid fuel (firewood) has been provided to 81 households in the villages of Novopavlivka and Mykhailiv, and distribution will soon begin in the neighboring village of Trofanivka.
This support does not just provide warmth, it helps people stay in their homes and continue their lives despite the constant challenges of war and destroyed infrastructure.