Several months ago, Maryna and her grandchildren watched as Russian forces invaded their village just outside Bucha, Ukraine.
“We woke up, and the buildings were on fire,” Maryna recalled.
Everything they once knew and loved was gone in a heartbeat. In the month that followed, their homes and schools were burned to the ground. Hundreds of civilians were brutally massacred. The events in Bucha have since been called genocide by officials like President Biden and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine.
Even now, storefronts remain closed. People are searching for the bodies of their loved ones in the streets or the mass graves left behind by the Russian military.
Fortunately, at her husband’s insistence, Maryna had fled with her two granddaughters and their mother at the first signs of trouble. Her husband and son were forced to stay behind to fight in the war … and Maryna still doesn’t know if they’re safe.
Watch this video to hear Maryna’s story:
After a three-day journey, Maryna made it to a school that had been converted into a refugee center near the border of Ukraine. It was here that she hoped to receive lifesaving aid for herself and her grandchildren.
Even though she found sanctuary at the refugee center, the war’s mental and physical toll has been exhausting for Maryna. She fears for her husband’s safety and prays for him daily. She listens as her granddaughters cry out for their father.
Maryna’s heart yearns to go home, but she is losing hope that things will ever return to the way they once were.
When Maryna first arrived at the refugee center, there were plenty of resources to go around. Aid poured in from various sources worldwide to help provide people like Maryna with everything they needed to survive. But as media outlets shift their focus elsewhere, this help has slowed significantly.
Now, in addition to wondering if her family survived the horrors in Bucha, Maryna fears that she will be unable to provide food for her grandchildren.
To make supplies last as long as possible, some refugee centers can only provide adults with one meal per day.
World Help President Noel Brewer Yeatts visits with Maryna and her grandchildren
It seems like the whole world has come crashing down around Ukrainian refugees. They feel lost and forgotten as they watch everyone else move on. All they can do is try to pick up the pieces of their lives.
But for just $35, you can be a source of hope to refugees like Maryna by standing with them in their greatest time of need.
Your $35 gift will provide a week’s worth of food, shelter, medical care, and other lifesaving supplies to a refugee from Ukraine or another high-conflict area. You have the power to provide stability amid so many unknowns and the opportunity to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus Christ.
Recent stories on our blog
Will You Help Women in Need This International Women’s Day?
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day — a time to both . . .
Why People Around the World Might Not Get the Help They Need
“If this help stops, many people will be in a very bad . . .
Why is February 24 So Important?
Today may seem like any other day to most of us. But for over . . .