War in Ukraine has been raging for three weeks. Thousands of people have been killed. More than three million refugees have fled the country, and several million more are displaced inside the country. Daily, innocent people suffer and die in the crossfire.
Yesterday, we received word of a young Christian family whose car was shot at by a Russian tank. The man, woman, and their little boy were killed. This family represents thousands of people—both Russian and Ukrainian—who have lost their lives as the war rages on.
A serious food crisis is developing inside Ukraine, where store shelves are rapidly emptying and supplies are running low. “Inside Ukraine, there is a food shortage crisis almost on the edge of catastrophe,” writes a contact who we are helping to provide food. “The need is huge inside Ukraine.”
Following is an update on projects that are taking place:
Providing food and other aid inside Ukraine
Our Ukrainian staff members continue to purchase what they can inside the country for distribution. They face challenges in finding sources for food and transporting food and other aid to various parts of the country. Our staff members are working out of a warehouse in western Ukraine as well as a warehouse south of Kyiv. Pray that God would keep our staff safe as they travel into Kyiv itself and other parts of Ukraine to distribute aid.
In addition to purchasing goods inside Ukraine, we are preparing aid shipments from Western Europe that can supply our workers with aid items to help people in need.
CAM’s distribution director in Romania has been working with food suppliers in Romania to purchase supplies to make food boxes to ship across the border into Ukraine. One thousand five hundred ready-to-eat food boxes were packed by willing volunteers in Romania. Many of these volunteers were children from the Mennonite churches in Ukraine. While these items were being gathered and packed, a load of comforters, hygiene kits, adult briefs, and canned meat spread that we had in our Romania warehouse inventory was sent into Ukraine last week.
Helping refugees in Romania
CAM staff members in Romania, along with the local Mennonite church, are working hard to help refugees who have come into Romania. They are supplying hot meals, transportation, lodging, and other assistance for refugee families.
Following is a report from an eyewitness of the flow of people at the Ukraine/Romania border: I saw women with children in their arms and women leading their children by the hand who have left their homes, their husbands, and everything they have. [They have] gone forth with only one, two, or three suitcases. Where? Into the wide world. They do not know what is coming next . . . Perhaps they shall never return. Perhaps they will never see the loved ones again from whom they have parted.
Pray for Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Moldova, Poland, and other countries who are facing an uncertain future. As the war grinds on, many are no doubt facing the grim reality that their displacement will be longer than they anticipated.
Shipment of aid from our warehouse in Ephrata, PA
We are working toward shipping several sea containers of canned chicken, comforters, hygiene kits, and food parcels to Ukraine. Join us in praying that this project could move forward and we can get the needed paperwork to ship this much-needed aid.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we respond to requests for help and seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people suffering the horrors of war.
