No time for fatigue
After a short time, the news moves on. We experience compassion fatigue: the war in Ukraine becomes old news.
When Feed The Hungry UK visited Izmail in Ukraine, we travelled overnight by ferry in order to be there at dawn to help distribute food. The two churches that had come to meet them? They had travelled for four days.
Four days travelling, to get a small van load of food.
There is no time for fatigue on the frontline.
Key Stats
Civilian Casualties:
24,900 people
Ukrainian refugees:
6.3 million
Internally displaced:
5.35 million
Food insecurity:
over 11 million people
Stats from The World Factbook, July 2023
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The ongoing hostilities have displaced over 11 million people, within Ukraine and to the surrounding countries. As of June 2023, over 24,900 civilian deaths had been reported – but the real death toll is likely to be far higher.
The impacts of this war go beyond casualties. Ukraine’s food production industry has been hugely disrupted. This pushes food insecurity up, not just for Ukrainians but also for surrounding European countries.
Estimates suggest there are now half a million additional children living in poverty in Ukraine. Many face starvation, with no safe dwelling and constantly exposed to risk. Coupled with significant disruption to education, this generation of children will feel the effects of this ongoing crisis for many years to come.
This is a crisis we cannot ignore.
Feeding the hungry in Ukraine
Working in partnership with Feed The Hungry offices in Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, we have been sending food into Ukraine and supporting refugees in Bulgaria, Romania and the UK.
A small thing received with intense joy
“I went to meet Romanian families that had given up their homes to take in refugees. They were families already on the breadline, yet they received those who landed on their doorstep with open arms.
It felt like a small thing to give them a box of food, but their joy in receiving it was intense and emotionally charged.”
GWYN WILLIAMS, FEED THE HUNGRY UK
Feeding thousands of families
Over 220 tonnes of food – enough to feed 8,800 families – have been sent to our warehouses in the Czech Republic and Romania, as of June 2023. These two warehouses allow us to reach different parts of Ukraine, delivering food to hungry families in as many affected regions as possible. On average, we’re sending 2 trucks a week with roughly 2 tonnes of food on each.
The food is distributed in Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria through a network of churches. They serve refugees tirelessly, putting food into the hands of those who need it most. This is challenging: the need moves as the frontline fighting moves, and there is a constant stream of refugees from Ukraine moving through Europe.
In addition, over 360 tonnes of clothing, shoes, raincoats, blankets and other essentials were sent at the beginning of the war, providing refugees who had nothing with things they needed to stay warm and dry.
Family Kindness Kits
In Bulgaria and Romania, we have been distributing Family Kindness Kits. These kits include essential toiletries – soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and sanitary products.
We’ve also been able to set up a Community Kitchen in Romania, where people can come and eat hot food.
Supporting Ukrainians in the UK
Some of the Ukrainian refugees we know in the UK were desperate to help their families back home. So we gave them the opportunity!
In partnership with Mosaic Church, we were able to run a food packing event. They came for the day, with bags of enthusiasm and many tearful moments. Together, they packed 500 family packs of food in record time.
They were so thankful to pack food for their own communities in their homeland. It was an emotional day for us all!
Ukrainians arriving in the UK come with nothing but the clothes on their back and what they could carry.
Feed The Hungry UK stepped up immediately to provide a clothing bank in Hinckley and Coventry. We also handed out emergency food parcels, making sure that no-one went hungry.
As these families settle down here in the UK, we’re helping them establish income streams so that they can provide for themselves in a sustainable way.
Support Ukrainians with food and essentials as the war continues. Donate to our Disaster Relief Fund and help support people affected by the war.
