The IAFR Blog

Field notes, perspectives, stories, news & announcements

Ukraine update

December 4, 2022

Listening to Ukrainians

Our partner church in Slovakia is listening to Ukrainian church leaders and prioritizing their crisis response accordingly.

When we began working together, the priority need was for vehicles in Ukraine to help transport assistance to vulnerable people. Then the most pressing need became food. The vehicles we helped provide were soon transporting food into conflict zones. When the vehicles dropped their load, they filled with people needing to evacuate to safety. As winter approached, the priority need shifted to help people survive the cold. So we helped buy and transport generators and wood burning stoves.

The Priority Now

Now we have learned that Ukrainian pastors and their families often lack the ability to heat their homes or pay their electricity bills. In November, hundreds were forced to leave their homes and communities for this reason.

The war has created many pressing needs in Ukraine. The need to strengthen hope and provide safe and supportive community is something that only the local churches can do.

And so the current need is to help pastors with this need so that they can stay to serve the people in their communities.

As a Ukrainian pastor recently told us,

"Not only will this help the people in their communities, it will also help the internally displaced Ukrainians staying in the cold homes of these pastors - for they are all hosting families uprooted by the conflict."

CLICK HERE to learn more about our Ukraine Emergency Response and how you can help!

Interested in a more complete update? Watch the recorded Facebook Live update from Tom Albinson on 2 December 2022.

- Tom Albinson

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