April 14-20, 2024

Fastiv, 14.04.-20.04.2024

Christ is risen!

More than a year ago, we often visited the Veliky Burluk settlement in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region, where a geriatric department for the elderly and people with limited mobility was organized on the basis of the hospital. We helped to equip this department with washing machines, appliances, kitchen equipment, as well as bed laundry and diapers. Among the patients, there was a young man with a severe degree of cerebral palsy, whose name is Yuri. D his severe illness, he was happy to meet and smiled, and such meetings remain in the heart. Why am I writing about this? After the Russian occupiers attacked this hospital for the first time, and later for the second time, it was completely destroyed. I asked myself what happened to them and where are these people now?

This week, while visiting with the Kharkiv humanitarian mission, our partners NGO Volunteer 68, with whom we brought humanitarian aid for people with limited mobility to the shelter, in one of the rooms, I saw Yuri, who recognized me and smiled. We talked, joy and great hope accompanied this meeting. I am glad that Yuri is now in a place where he will be taken care of and will not be left. Thank you Galina Kharlamova for the evacuation, for helping the sick and elderly.

With humanitarian aid, we also visited Donetsk region – a mobile shelter for people left homeless in Druzhkivka, who had to change their location due to shelling, as well as Konstantynivka. It is very sad to see how these areas are destroyed. We visit these remote “places of hope” so that no one is alone, especially now when humanitarian aid is difficult.

This week, we distributed 1,044 basic food kits and distributed 9,400 kg of humanitarian aid to victims of military aggression.

We are grateful to everyone who supports and befriends us. I would like to thank Charytatywni Freta and Fundacja Charytatywni for the charity fair, which raised funds for the opening of a social laundry, which we plan to open in Kherson. We thank the Czech Province of the Dominicans, Klášter dominikánů Praha, who during the Great Lent collected donations to support Ukraine and assigned this gift to a social kitchen and bakery in Kherson. Thank you to the Zupa na Monciaku Foundation for the charitable aid delivered to us by the Nova Poshta Humanitarian. Thank you to the Director of the Foundation, Ms. Aleksandra Kaminska, for supporting Ukraine. Thank you to our Friends of the community of secular Dominicans from Zwolle, who support our humanitarian missions and help us constantly, thank you Peter and Frans van der Heijdt and the whole community, who despite all the obstacles stay close to us. Thank you, Chris Hughes, for remembering our children. Thank you everyone for your support, prayers and your donation.

With prayers,

Fr. Mykhailo Romaniv OP