Ilona Malytska, SA2U’s most trusted supporter in the Odessa and Kherson regions, distributed aid together with her team and husband to IDPs and low-income families living near the front lines in Kherson. The funds were generously granted by the Association for the Support of Victims of the Ukraine Conflict (ASVUC).

Aid Partner:Ilona Malytska, Volodymyr Malytskyi and team 
Region:Kherson 
Aid provided:Winter aid such as generators, wood-burning heaters, gas burners, blankets, food, medicine
Beneficiaries:IDP shelter, 300 residents of Kherson front line regions, further Kherson residents; over 500 people total

This Kherson region is in an especially vulnerable position. During the de-occupation in November 2022, the retreating Russian army ransacked the city, taking everything from medical equipment to school computers. Since liberation, the city has been repeatedly shelled and remains under constant threat of attack, with Russian troops stationed merely 5km outside some parts of the city. Deemed excessively dangerous, Kherson has been avoided by humanitarian aid organizations, its dwindling population one of the most in need.

For this project, Ilona purchased all of the humanitarian aid herself at the best possible prices and organized and supervised the team. Video and photos from the sorting warehouse in Odessa show glimpses of smiling volunteers, their unified, efficient operation conducted like an orchestra, the soft light lending the task of packing a quiet beauty and grace.

 

   

Following a spirited goodbye with team members sending their greetings to compatriots and brothers in Kherson, Volodymyr traveled to the region to oversee distribution of aid directly:

  • An IDP shelter housing 53 people received generators, bed linens, blankets, and wooden panels for windows broken by blasts, as well as personal hygiene supplies, gas burners for cooking and food.
  • Over 300 of the neediest residents of a part of Kherson very close to the front lines of fighting, most of them elderly, were given food packages and gas burners for cooking.
  • A powerful generator, heaters, potbelly stoves, food, medicine and vitamins were bought to equip a “point of invincibility” in Kherson where residents can come for warmth, food and medicine.

“Without your support, it would be harder,” states Konstantin, a young Odessite in charge of running the aid center in Kherson, his choice of words underlining that Kherson is experiencing unprecedented hardship.

 

Fueled by the success of this project, Ilona and Vladimir dream of supporting the rebuilding of Kherson’s clinics and schools. Together we can make this happen!

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ASVUC is a Swiss charity founded by two IT entrepreneurs who could not bear to stand idly by. The association’s support efforts encompass not only humanitarian and medical aid to displaced persons and victims in Ukraine but also assistance in assimilation to refugees located in foreign countries.