On August 5, 2022, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, together with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ukraine, Anka Feldhusen, presented in the capital’s Volodymyr Hill Park a batch of humanitarian aid to people who had been forced to flee their homes due to the Russian invasion.
According to the OCU website, the event took place as part of the humanitarian crisis response effort, backed by long-standing partners: the Eleos-Ukraine Synodal Department of Social Service of the OCU and Johanniter International Assistance.
The project provides assistance to people affected by war, offering basic food and hygiene products in 13 regions (Kyiv, Bucha of Kyiv region, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Kostyantynivka of Donetsk region, Odesa, Chernihiv, Lviv, Lutsk, Rivne, Chernivtsi, Poltava, and Ivano-Frankivsk). One set contains a week-set of food for three people.
In some regions, instead of kits, it is planned to offer vouchers so that families can buy whatever they need. Vouchers have a value similar to the value of food and hygiene items, that is, about 50 euros.
In some cities, purchases are made for cooking hot meals. These purchases have an equivalent (financial) volume as the kits, i.e. for around 50 euros a family of 3 can be supported for a week at hot meal points.
In total, about 10,000 people affected by war will receive help within three months. The project aimed at the purchase and transfer of food and hygiene products is worth EUR 504,000.
“We believe in our victory and we believe that everyone will return to their homes and we will rebuild them together, together we will build our future in a united, strong, European, and democratic Ukraine. The church does everything it can to support people not only spiritually, but also materially. Therefore, today we implement another project together with our German friends. So I’m glad we got together and can do good works of mercy. May the Lord help all of you in this difficult time of trial by war, and may we all unite together and tackle this evil that has come to our common home,” Metropolitan Epifaniy said, addressing the audience.
