SEPTEMBER UPDATE FROM CSUF AND DHT
Friends of Ukraine,
Another month has passed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We try to have some normalcy in our daily activities. We do our best to live for today because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
Small things remind me that we are not that different than most places around the world. Just like many of you, we have been trying to prepare our kids for a new school year which started on September 1. In western Ukraine, we are grateful that our children have the opportunity to attend school if there’s a bomb shelter there or nearby. It is not an option in many other areas of the country.
However, there are frequent air raid sirens, and the necessity to hide in the bomb shelters, sometimes several times a day, even in the west.
Although we are getting used to it, having kids away at school or anywhere else can be a constant worry for many parents. Oksana is one of those worried parents.
Oksana, her mother, and her two children fled the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine in August 2022. Oksana’s husband Denys is believed to be the first known causality of the war when it began on February 24, 2022, and their story was featured in The Guardian.
It is really worth reading it if you’d like to get a feeling of what real things are like.
The town of Volodymyr in western Ukraine has seen many refugees pass through since the start of the war, but many refugees have decided to stay and make Volodymyr their new home. Oksana is one of those who have decided to stay. Although western Ukraine is far from the active war zone and much safer than other areas, she cannot relax for a moment. Oksana is still afraid of the air defense alarms after all the time she spent living under occupation.
Oksana’s 9-year-old son Roman goes to school in Volodymyr but she is too afraid to send her 3-year-old daughter Dominica to the kindergarten. She does not want to decide which child she would run to first in case of danger. Oksana’s hands trembled as she spoke of her fear for her children.
CSUF has been working with Oksana as she builds her new life in Volodymyr. Items such as new clothing and school supplies may seem small, but for Roman and the other children starting a new school year, it was the opportunity for us to help them feel like any other normal kid.
Small things like this do make a difference. Oksana may not be ready for Domenica to go to the kindergarten yet but we will be there when she is ready. We will be there to buy winter clothes and help Roman with tuition. They are one of the families we keep supporting.
We keep working to help the fathers of the children survive. So many needs are critical.
Transport is VITAL in the war zone. We have been helping soldiers of different units to fix their vehicles. We have been providing terrain wheels, spare parts, antenna sets, tents, and other items for the vehicles that were destroyed. We have bought a new engine for the Kamaz truck that delivers soldiers and ammunition. It’s already running.
These tools will help the soldiers of one of the units of the 92nd brigade fix their SUVs on the go, in the most urgent cases.
Connection is vital as well. We keep supplying Starlink units. Thank you from the 3rd Assault Brigade and 100th Territorial Defence Brigade:
We’ve kept providing the protective gear like helmets and headphones, as well as night vision devices. The one that you can see in the picture below will be used by a diver of an SUV who works to deliver supplies. Why will it help him survive? Because he drives to the front at night to avoid being hit, through the forests and fields, with the headlights off.
Thank you from the drone operators of the 100the Brigade for this powerstation. It is used to charge batteries, phones, and other equipment.
Thank you for your ongoing support. It helps to make the dreams of many come true and makes the future of many more possible.
Love from Ukraine.
Andriy