Kherson city public organization "Sofia Center" has been working with families who have children with disabilities for more than 13 years in a row. During occupation the organization worked without breaks, without vacations, collecting money literally by the penny from everyone who cares, as they say in Ukraine, all over the world, actually feeding our families.
After all, during the Russian occupation of Kherson, most shops were closed, were robbed by the Russians, the supply of food was devastatingly small, there was no choice of products and the prices were huge in the direct sense and without exaggeration. We were forced to ask for help from caring people just to support the life of our families in the organization..
How families with children with disabilities live in Kherson under shelling
Kherson is currently on the front line of fire and the city suffers from constant shelling. It so happened that in the city there is a big problem with equipped places where you can hide from shelling - shelters. In the building that our organization rents from the city department of communal property, there is, firstly, a bomb shelter under our building; secondly, this room is so strong, like the building itself, that it can serve as a shelter. Therefore, there was a need to equip a part of the organization's building as a possible temporary shelter for one or more families who may become homeless at any moment, but do not have the opportunity to leave the city.
We made a video in which we asked for help with financing the arrangement of the shelter. It took some time to find funds and we found them. At the moment, the premises are being remodeled, but we understand that we will also need items and materials to create the minimum conditions for a decent life. Iryna Nikolayeva responded to our request and in fact became our fundraising ambassador.
Some words about the assistance
On November 14, 2022, thanks to Iryna Nikolaeva, we started fundraising on "BeKind" platform ("Kind Challenge" NGO) to get humanitarian aid for 30 families from Kherson..
https://bekind.ua/uk/project?id=49f4c448-751d-4118-ae33-93c9cfa541f5
We started raising funds for equipment and food on this platform thanks to the support and help of Tetyana Hrynyova, the founder of "BeKind" project. The project was implemented together with the NGO "Center Sofia" and the NGO "Kind Challenge". Thanks to the inflow of funds from people and the main contribution from the company Depositphotos, we raised UAH 199,997.00. When the necessary amount was raised and the collection was closed, we sent an official letter from the NGO "Sofia Center" about the need for a generator and a washer and dryer to be installed in the Center and the purchase of food.
A generator and a washing machine are especially necessary in the Center. The level of humidity is currently very high in Kherson. Therefore, there is a problem with drying laundry: there is also almost no heating in the city, so not everyone can dry laundry indoors. The families of our organization are in need of a washer and dryer right now: power outages and lack of heating make it impossible to dry laundry. Therefore, we asked for a washer and dryer - and women come to the center and according to the schedule wash the clothes and take away the already dry laundry. Our organization is located in the city center. On the one hand, it is easy to get to from any area. On the other hand, constant shelling continues, in particular in the center, so there are constant power outages. Therefore, we also asked to purchase a generator of the appropriate capacity for us, in particular, to ensure the operation of the washer and dryer.
Currently, all the planned assistance has already been received. The generator, washer and dryer and power banks, which were also provided, are already in the organization. Power banks (universal mobile batteries) are necessary for families in the most difficult situations. In the video you can see that we are already using them. For example, you can see how we arrange the building of the organization: these are works to prevent debris from Russian shells and missiles from hitting the building or the consequences of the blast wave. We already had a sad experience when the organization's windows were broken by shelling. Therefore, those who care help us to furnish the facility further..
We are grateful for the opportunity to purchase 20 blower heaters for heating and drying the air in our families' homes, 13 lanterns and food. We also purchased 20 power banks, and now our families will always be in touch. Due to frequent power outages, it is not possible to charge phones in apartments..
So, in general, this is what we managed to purchase with the raised funds:
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99 500 UAH — payment for 1 washing machine, 20 universal mobile batteries, 1 generator
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payment for canned food (550 pieces) for the total amount of 50,500 UAH.
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30 387 UAH — payment for 20 fan heaters and 13 portable lanterns.
Of the listed payments, 390 UAH were paid from the funds of the NGO "Sofia Center".
Unfortunately, not everything is done quickly. After all, there are, for example, days when we cannot leave the house at all because of shelling from the Russian side. There are also days when we are almost constantly engaged in sorting and distributing food and hygiene products that are given to us by benefactors or that we purchase through donations for our organization. The families that are in the organization currently do not have the opportunity to buy food and hygiene products for themselves: they do not receive money to live on. Therefore, we are engaged in arranging the facility and supporting our families at the same time, which does not always allow us to find time and take pictures of our work.
Our organization currently employs a person who arranges a place for a washer and dryer: chooses a place, makes all the necessary connections, etc. As soon as we install this machine, we will send a video immediately.
"Sofia" center after Russian shelling
I am sending photos and videos of what we have already done. Unfortunately, there are days, sometimes several days in a row, when we cannot leave the house at all, even to hide in the nearest shelter. These are the days of constant shelling, when even the warning signals give no guarantee that the shelling has ended. Therefore, we work for the sake of our families when we simply have the physical opportunity to get out of the house..
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