A Coventry-based charity is appealing for the public to get behind its latest campaign efforts to help those left isolated by the latest round of bombings in Ukraine.
The increased attacks, targeting main roads, rail links, and ferries in the southern Budjak region, have led to fuel shortages, as well as panic buying of food, medicines, and other essentials, as the area risks being cut off.
Gavin Kibble, CEO of Feed The Hungry UK, said: “Our partners in Ukraine are facing an urgent and worsening crisis caused by the ongoing war with Russia. The attacks on the southern region of Ukraine, where Izmail is located (the region south of Odessa, bordered by Moldova to the West and Romania to the South), have intensified over the past few months.
“Russia has attempted to isolate that section of Ukraine by bombing and destroying the bridge that acts as the main supply route between that region and the rest of Ukraine.”
The attacks also resulted in a civilian vehicle being struck, killing a mother and injuring three children. While restoration efforts are hoped for, the situation remains fragile and requires urgent attention and support.
Daily electricity is restricted to just two hours due to severe shortages of fuel and resources, leaving families without reliable power, heat, or light in the middle of a harsh winter. Generators are desperately needed, but many communities lack both the equipment and the fuel to run them, while rising fuel and food prices mean fewer supplies are reaching the most vulnerable.
Churches are opening their doors to provide warmth, power, and food, yet they are overwhelmed and under-resourced.
Pastor Yan Hrosu, who runs One Hope Church in Izmail, a city in the Budjak region, has been delivering firewood to vulnerable people living in and around the area.
Viktor: Seventy-four-year-old Viktor and his wife, 71, were displaced from Kherson by the war, and have only $50 each month to live on.
Anna: Lives with her grandson and her daughter and receives a pension of around $70 per month. With this money, she must pay for utilities, food, and cover basic necessities.
Mykhailo: Despite being completely blind, Mykhailo lives on a small pension of just $80 per month after being displaced and is supported with clothing, food, and firewood.
Pastor Yan is in need of immediate financial support, fuel, generators, food, and heating, all of which are essential to help protect vulnerable families and sustain life-saving local aid efforts.
He said: “We want to continue to help elderly individuals, children, and families living in isolated villages with no infrastructure and very limited resources. Many seniors in these villages live completely alone, with no family support and no access to stores or pharmacies. For them, this help is vital for daily survival.
“For many children in remote villages, these gifts are a powerful reminder that they are loved, remembered, and not forgotten. Along with food support, we spend time together, pray, talk, and share the message of the Gospel – bringing warmth, hope, and a sense of family.”
One Hope Church is also supporting the feeding of around 500 people each week using a mobile food truck, which is a lifeline for those struggling to afford the basics. It costs £17 a day in fuel to run the food truck; feeding 60 people each day costs £26 for food. £200 can buy one tonne of firewood and slow-burning briquettes.
For further information or to donate, visit HERE.
Feed The Hungry is an international Christian humanitarian organisation committed to fighting hunger due to poverty, war, famine, and natural disasters. With its partner organisations, Feed The Hungry globally assists in the regular feeding of over 645,000 children in 29 countries.
For more information about Feed The Hungry or to help or donate, visit HERE or call 01455 618 455.
