Iryna Konovalova takes care of her small family on her own
“We live very close to the front line. Every day we hear explosions, shelling, and alarms. But most of all, we fear winter,” says 52-year-old Iryna Konovalova from Staryj Saltiw in eastern Ukraine. She moved to the small town with her son to support her mother, who has cancer.
The house where the three of them live was damaged by Russian attacks, and all the windows were broken. Iryna, who works in a pharmacy and is the sole breadwinner for her family, could not afford to repair it. Last year, she lost both her father and her older son. If there is anything left at the end of the month, she saves it for her mother's expensive chemotherapy and the care of her son, who also needs support due to a disability.
arche nova replaced the windows in the house so that the family is protected from the cold temperatures in winter. We also purchased new household appliances for Iryna to make it a little easier for her to care for her family.
Wood briquettes give Olga Karashchuk a spark of hope
Even 500 km further south, in the municipality of Novopetrivka, concerns are no less pressing. Here, 78-year-old Olga Karashchuk lives in a house that was largely burned down during the Russian occupation.
"Our village was under occupation for seven months. I stayed because I had nowhere else to go […]. We lived together in the basement — there were 63 of us. We helped each other and shared everything: eggs, jam, and tea. We survived together.“
When Olga returned, her greatest fear was the approaching winter. The briquettes she received from arche nova for her small stove last year alleviated this concern. “It's an opportunity to get through the winter in warmth, without fear of the cold”, she says.
Andriy Petrov's family suffers from the consequences of war
Just a few doors down from the former elementary school teacher lives Andriy Petrov with his wife and two children. They, too, had to fight for survival under Russian occupation:
„It was very difficult. There was no food. We didn't see bread for months. Once, a guy came with a trailer and brought some bread, sugar, tea, and coffee. But the prices were crazy. We ground grain and made flatbread — that's how we survived."
The house where the family lives was hit by several rockets during the occupation. “The children are still afraid of the sound of explosions, especially when shahids are flying”, says Andriy. Last year, Andriy received 2.5 tons of briquettes for heating from arche nova. One pack lasted for one day, so the family got through the winter just fine.
Andriy and his wife are currently repairing the damage to their house – bit by bit, because their small income is just enough to live on. Water in particular has become increasingly expensive since the war began, Andriy reports.
Alla Trofimenko can provide her students with water
Turning on the tap to drink a glass of water – in many regions of Ukraine, this has not been possible for a long time. The war has severely damaged the water and sewage infrastructure. And in places where the supply system was already in need of renovation, there are no funds available for renewal. Even in Novyi Buh, a small town in the Mykolaiv Oblast, reliable access to drinking water cannot be taken for granted – not even at school. Alla Trofimenko is the principal of Lyceum No.1 in Novyi Buh. Many of the more than 600 children who attend her school come from surrounding villages and do not have reliable access to clean water. To ensure that no one has to learn while thirsty, arche arche nova has installed a modern water purification system in the school building.
„When arche nova offered to install a water purification system, we were really pleased. It helps us to provide safe food and drinking water for the children.“
In order to improve learning conditions at the school, arche nova also renovated the drainage system, which was in need of repair, and the aging sanitary facilities – taking into account the needs of people with disabilities, of course.
Your support gives hope
These four stories represent millions of lives that have been changed forever by the war in Ukraine. With the support we provide, we want to alleviate at least some of the worries of Ukrainians affected by the consequences of the war. Since the start of the war, we have been able to support a total of 58,000 people.
„These projects are very important because they provide people with not only the most necessary assistance, but also the belief that they are not alone, and hope for the restoration of a normal, peaceful life!“
There is no end in sight to the war in Ukraine, and the living conditions of Ukrainians will continue to deteriorate in the coming months. Our emergency aid therefore remains vital for survival in this fourth winter of war – please stand by our side and support our work with a donation!
