This is the best part of what we do...

 


... taking aid directly to people. This was to a village of about 1600 people, called Ivanivka, near Chernihiv. Trawden-size. Many displaced people and ordinary life is just very hard. We will let the pictures tell most of the story...



As usual, after we finished distributing the items to villagers, we were given food but, as usual, in Ukraine, in a very unique way...sort of a delivery service - the volunteer organiser phoned various people in the village...and wonderful food was brought by individuals: Fresh and, according to Fiona, lovely scrambled egg. Some wonderful vegetarian borsch, which appeared to be made by someone in minutes as, usually, it contains meat. We were also given honey, eggs, cottage cheese and milk to take home. All fresh, from the villagers: animals. And homemade vodka!!!!!

Over lunch we were told of some of the cruelties inflicted on people when the Russians were in their village. The constant fear of violence, the theft of property, being made to live in basements. The rape of women. The killings. And, for me, maybe the worst information was that most of the Russian soldiers perpetrating this violence were under 25...so young, yet so cruel. 

It's never easy leaving these places. We are endlessly thanked for the things we do. This is hard for us...it's the least we can do. We always wish we could do more.

The final photo is of the simple determination to continue. In front of a bombed building, which we think may have been a shop, a new portacabin shop has appeared. The sign in front says "non-stop." I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that the support from the West won't stop and that, ultimately, Ukraine will have it's country and peace back. And, to all the people we met today...you, also, give us so much.


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