In three months, the team at the international charity foundation “WE ARE FROM UKRAINE!”, working alongside volunteer Denys Khrystov, carried out more than 30 evacuation trips to frontline areas of the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Thanks to grant support from the KSE Foundation, the volunteers brought out more than 150 people and 80 animals.
Impact of the Grant
The team focused on those who have almost no chance of leaving on their own: elderly and mobility-impaired people, people with disabilities, and families with children. Volunteers also helped residents who refused to leave without their pets.
Evacuations were carried out from frontline communities in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, including Druzhkivka, Kindrativka, Bilozerske, Starorayske, Starodubivka, Slovianka, and Chaplyne. To improve safety, the team worked in coordination with the Black Raven unmanned systems battalion.
After evacuation, people were taken to a transit shelter in Pavlohrad and to temporary housing. Working with the “East SOS” foundation and other partners, the volunteers provided full-cycle support: from the first request for help to restoring lost documents, delivering humanitarian aid, and finding new homes.
Over three months of steady work, they brought the following people and animals to safer regions:
- 18 children
- 70 elderly people
- 28 people with limited mobility
- 12 people with disabilities
- 80 pets.
A Mission in Focus
The trip on May 19 to Slovianka, in the Synelnykove community, shows just how complex and risky these missions can be. With enemy strikes ongoing, the volunteers had only a short window of safety to pick up nine people, including two children, along with their animals.
On the way, the evacuation vehicle was damaged. Fortunately, residents of the village of Novoviazivske stepped in quickly, and the vehicle was repaired right on the route. The people and their animals reached a new community near Pavlohrad safely.
Keeping the Fleet Running
Missions like these require funds for regular vehicle repairs, fuel, tires, and consumables. Among other things, the KSE Foundation grant kept the vehicle fleet in working order and allowed the team to run evacuations without forced pauses.