Ukraine - Humanitarian aid - May 2022 - Photo by Mickael Franci
A Caritas Ukraine distribution point for food, water, medicines and other essential goods in the city centre of Ivano-Frankyvsk. Staff and volunteers provide 1200 meals a day for displaced people.
Romana Zarovetska (61):
"For almost 29 years I have been cooking for poor people in the city. I am a professional cook and I used to work in restaurants. Now I only work for Caritas.
Right now, I'm making rice porridge with sausages and carrot salad.
I get lots of compliments on my cooking from the people who come here to get food. My approach is this: if my husband and children like it, then I will cook it for other people as well.
My favourite dish to make is borsch, the traditional Ukrainian beetroot soup."
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Large parts of Ukraine have been in a state of war since 2014. But since February 2022, the lives of all Ukrainians have been severely affected by violence, shortages of goods and food and a major displacement crisis.
In Ukraine, Cordaid funds partner organisations through Caritas Internationalis, a global network of Catholic aid organisations.
Caritas staff and volunteers have geared up and they are working day and night (not an exaggeration) to support people who have fled their homes with sometimes nothing more than the clothes they had on or those who, for whatever reason, cannot flee and are stuck in a warzone.
The western part of the country, and especially the city of Lviv, has become a humanitarian hub after the situation in the east deteriorated.
Trucks full of goods from neighbouring countries, often purchased with money from private donors from all over Europe, arrive there to be unloaded in storage spaces.
With great efficiency, aid workers load up their own trucks and start driving to the cities in the east, that have been suffering continuous air raids and bombings, and where, in some cases, people are still living in between the rubble.
Caritas does not only distribute food, water, clothes and medicines, they also provide a home for hundreds of displaced people or guide them to the border in case they are looking for safety outside of the country.
There is extra care for children in special centres or in family run orphanages, where they can learn, play and live at a safe distance from the ongoing violence.
In cities throughout the country, Caritas has set up tents where the most essential goods are being distributed and food kitchens where displaced people and others struggling with the hardship can get a daily warm meal. To give just an example: in the city of Ivano-Frankyvsk volunteers provide meals for 1200 people each day.
Many of those who are working in this immense humanitarian operation have suffered the consequences of the conflict themselves. It's a cliché, but it's true: war often brings out both the worst and the best in us.
Ukraine - Humanitarian aid - May 2022 - Photo by Mickael Franci
A Caritas Ukraine distribution point for food, water, medicines and other essential goods in the city centre of Ivano-Frankyvsk. Staff and volunteers provide 1200 meals a day for displaced people.
Romana Zarovetska (61):
"For almost 29 years I have been cooking for poor people in the city. I am a professional cook and I used to work in restaurants. Now I only work for Caritas.
Right now, I'm making rice porridge with sausages and carrot salad.
I get lots of compliments on my cooking from the people who come here to get food. My approach is this: if my husband and children like it, then I will cook it for other people as well.
My favourite dish to make is borsch, the traditional Ukrainian beetroot soup."
---
Large parts of Ukraine have been in a state of war since 2014. But since February 2022, the lives of all Ukrainians have been severely affected by violence, shortages of goods and food and a major displacement crisis.
In Ukraine, Cordaid funds partner organisations through Caritas Internationalis, a global network of Catholic aid organisations.
Caritas staff and volunteers have geared up and they are working day and night (not an exaggeration) to support people who have fled their homes with sometimes nothing more than the clothes they had on or those who, for whatever reason, cannot flee and are stuck in a warzone.
The western part of the country, and especially the city of Lviv, has become a humanitarian hub after the situation in the east deteriorated.
Trucks full of goods from neighbouring countries, often purchased with money from private donors from all over Europe, arrive there to be unloaded in storage spaces.
With great efficiency, aid workers load up their own trucks and start driving to the cities in the east, that have been suffering continuous air raids and bombings, and where, in some cases, people are still living in between the rubble.
Caritas does not only distribute food, water, clothes and medicines, they also provide a home for hundreds of displaced people or guide them to the border in case they are looking for safety outside of the country.
There is extra care for children in special centres or in family run orphanages, where they can learn, play and live at a safe distance from the ongoing violence.
In cities throughout the country, Caritas has set up tents where the most essential goods are being distributed and food kitchens where displaced people and others struggling with the hardship can get a daily warm meal. To give just an example: in the city of Ivano-Frankyvsk volunteers provide meals for 1200 people each day.
Many of those who are working in this immense humanitarian operation have suffered the consequences of the conflict themselves. It's a cliché, but it's true: war often brings out both the worst and the best in us.