Since the start of the full-scale war, the Snigurivka community has endured many hardships. Initially, it spent nearly nine months under occupation, facing constant shelling and lacking electricity and water. Then it suffered severe flooding after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up. Many homes were completely submerged. Today, there are numerous damaged homes and affected families in the settlements who need assistance. Community residents face constant water supply issues, so personal hygiene is a top priority here.
That is why the team from the “Stabilization Support Services” Charitable Foundation distributed personal hygiene kits to residents of the Snigurivka community. A total of 165 community residents received packages containing essential items for maintaining personal hygiene.
Among those who received assistance from the Foundation is Ms. Valentina (name changed for security reasons). She is a single woman living in the village of Pavlivka who cares for her parents, who have cancer, on her own.
“I’m so grateful for the care package. It has everything my parents and I need. I gave my dad the shaving cream and razors, and my mom the shampoo. These things may seem simple at first glance, but they cost money. Our family is really struggling financially right now. We’re spending almost all of our savings on my parents’ medical treatment and home repairs. During the occupation, Russian troops stole almost all of our household appliances from our home. And it wasn’t just appliances—they even took our firewood and coal. When the village was liberated and we started rebuilding our home, another disaster struck—our house was flooded. After the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up, the Ingulets River burst its banks. My house was submerged under 1.5 meters of water. The water stood in the house for almost a week. It was so terrifying. I’ll never forget it. We’re still trying to restore the house. It’s hard to do everything on our own, and it’s expensive,” — the woman shares her story.
Ms. Oksana (name changed for safety) from the Snigurivka community also received a personal hygiene kit from the Charitable Foundation. She came to receive the aid with her husband. She says that for her family, it’s like a real holiday.
“The sun has finally come out, it’s gotten warmer, you’ve arrived with aid, and it’s even easier to breathe. Because last week there was so much shooting that I was already getting ready to go down to the cellar. But fortunately, everything quieted down and didn’t prevent you from reaching us. Thank you for this kit. It has everything we needed. It will last us about two months to maintain hygiene in the family,” — the woman says.
Like most people in the Snigurivka community, Oksana’s family is trying to save money, often cutting back on their own needs as they continue to rebuild their home. That’s why they’re grateful for any help.
“We spent almost the entire occupation—eight months—at home. We left the village for a month because it had become too scary, but we returned home. When we saw our house, we couldn’t believe our eyes. The roof was badly damaged, almost all the windows had blown out from the explosions, and a lot of our appliances were stolen. We still haven’t fully restored our home. We’ve spent our last bit of money on it because we have to live somewhere, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. My husband has gone back to work now; he’s working in the fields, and I’m taking care of the household. It’s just the two of us; there’s no one else to turn to for help. That’s why we’re so grateful to you for not forgetting us and for providing us with the essentials during such a difficult time,” — says Oksana gratefully.
In addition to residents of the Snigurivka community, personal hygiene kits were distributed to residents of the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions. In total, the Charitable Foundation team has already distributed 850 kits in February and March. The distribution of kits in frontline regions will continue until the end of spring.
Assistance is provided as part of the project “Lifesaving response to protection concerns and humanitarian needs of conflict affected people in the South and South-East of Ukraine” is implemented by the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation in partnership with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with financial support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.