In Sumy, just a few dozen kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border, Olena and Viktor Okun live in a small house they inherited. The home was built in the 1960s from cinder block and lacks insulation, making it very difficult to heat in winter — the walls lose heat quickly, and the old boiler consumes an excessive amount of fuel. According to the owners, for the eight years since they settled here, every winter has been a real challenge, and during the war, it has been even more so, as gas and firewood prices have been rising. Last winter, the family even had to go into considerable debt to pay their heating bills.
“My wife and I work in extracurricular education. I work as the head of a theater club, and Olena teaches children to sew stuffed toys, make souvenirs, doll cases, and other crafts. Our salaries are quite small: the base rate is 5,600 hryvnias, but the state indexes it to the minimum wage, plus a tiny bit is added for seniority. Still, this is not enough to pay large utility bills in winter and have anything left to live on,” says Viktor Okun.
Recently, the man discovered the opportunity to receive solid fuel from our foundation and registered. The team from the Lifesaving: Protection, Shelter, and WASH for War-Affected Regions project visited Viktor, bringing him three tons of fuel briquettes as aid.
“This was extremely important and timely support for us; we are incredibly grateful. We started using the briquettes immediately; they are of very high quality, light up quickly, do not give off an unpleasant smell, smolder for a long time, and release a lot of heat. There is no comparison with damp firewood, which emits a lot of smoke, but which we often used for heating,” the beneficiary shares.
Now, like most Ukrainian homes, the Okuns’ house is without electricity at times, but it is always warm. Viktor admits that he is now calm because winter is no longer scary for him and his wife: the briquettes will last for the entire heating season. According to him, this will allow them to save money and, most importantly, to have more confidence in tomorrow.
The project is being implemented by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in partnership with the Charity Organization Malteser International, with the support of Aktion Deutschland Hilft.