Eastern Ukraine: bicycles to deliver aid and hope amidst COVID-19
Travneve and Gladosovo are practically cut off from civilisation, only accessible by a dirt road, which passes through mined fields and a pig farm. Access to these 2 settlements where more than 100 people live is restricted, primarily for security reasons. Volunteers fill the gap in delivering essential goods and services.
“I am retired but I have so much energy left. I just cannot stay home when an armed conflict is going on and people are suffering,” says Olena, social worker and head of the community centre in the villages of Travneve and Gladosovo, Donetsk region. “The people I help live far away from each other. As a result, I constantly had to prioritise as I simply did not have time to help everybody.”
The journey from one place to another could take her 3 hours, even more if it was snowy. “One day on the way home, I came under fire. I had to hide in the reeds until I calmed down. Now that I have been given a bicycle, I am able to go around, visit and find out what help is needed so much faster!”
©Proliska Ukraine. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.
Eastern Ukraine: bicycles to deliver aid and hope amidst COVID-19
Travneve and Gladosovo are practically cut off from civilisation, only accessible by a dirt road, which passes through mined fields and a pig farm. Access to these 2 settlements where more than 100 people live is restricted, primarily for security reasons. Volunteers fill the gap in delivering essential goods and services.
“I am retired but I have so much energy left. I just cannot stay home when an armed conflict is going on and people are suffering,” says Olena, social worker and head of the community centre in the villages of Travneve and Gladosovo, Donetsk region. “The people I help live far away from each other. As a result, I constantly had to prioritise as I simply did not have time to help everybody.”
The journey from one place to another could take her 3 hours, even more if it was snowy. “One day on the way home, I came under fire. I had to hide in the reeds until I calmed down. Now that I have been given a bicycle, I am able to go around, visit and find out what help is needed so much faster!”
©Proliska Ukraine. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.