The village of Lysohirka lies just 40 kilometers from the front line. While the daily roar of explosions is distant, shelling is not uncommon. This small village in Zaporizka Oblast is home to fewer than a thousand residents, mostly elderly people who need significant support.
Our Foundation’s team recently visited to deliver humanitarian aid in the form of individual hygiene kits.
“In Lysohirka, we started by distributing three kinds of kits — general hygiene, women’s, and kits for people with special needs. The aid went not only to residents of the village itself but also to people from other towns in the Bilenkivska community who had registered,” explains Oksana Levada, the Foundation’s regional coordinator in Zaporizka Oblast.
According to her, the demand for these hygiene kits is incredibly high — people began arriving before the distribution even started, some walking several kilometers or biking in from neighboring villages. She adds that for many, the items in these kits are simply unaffordable.
Among those who received help in Lysohirka was Snizhana (name changed for security reasons). She is nearly 60 and has been fighting a severe form of cancer for many years.
“The village council told me about the aid from your foundation, so I signed up right away. I don’t have enough money for even the bare necessities, especially since I’m so sick. I received two kits: one for hygiene and one for special needs. They contained exactly what I needed after my surgery — diapers, urological pads, and absorbent sheets. The hygiene kit was so full, I even shared some things with my brother… And the quality of everything is excellent,” the beneficiary shares.
Because of her health, Snizhana works part-time and receives no government assistance. The last time she got humanitarian aid from charitable organizations was back in January. She admits that affording even basic food and supplies is becoming harder and harder.
“Almost all my savings go to medicine, so I’m incredibly grateful to your foundation for this timely and essential help. Despite the war and my illness, I try to find joy in each day. I believe things will get better, and feeling support from others makes that belief even stronger,” Snizhana says with gratitude.
As part of the Lifesaving: Protection, Shelter, and WASH for War-Affected Regions project, which is implemented by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in partnership with the charitable organization Malteser International and with the support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft, residents of frontline communities in Sumska, Zaporizka, and Mykolaivska oblasts will receive nearly 15 thousand kits by the end of 2025.