Emergency, ready-to-eat meals for people in the most dangerous areas
Ukraine | 2023 | CBPF
Ukraine, Donetsk region. “We used to have a lot of plans. Now we don’t plan anything,” says Mary, an engineer (not her real name), who lives in a village outside Chasiv Yar.
Chasiv Yar city is a few kilometers from the front line in Donetsk region. People here, and in the surrounding villages, face a dire situation. There are no utilities and commercial products in the city or nearby settlements. Even though there are ways to be evacuated and find other accommodation, some people still decide to stay in this extremely hostile environment to be with vulnerable loved ones, farm animals, and belongings.
Most of the time, the people who stay are elderly or living with disabilities; they don’t want to live in collective centers but would rather stay in their own homes and hope that the war won’t reach them.
Mary’s elderly father, for example, doesn’t want to move. “It’s not possible to stay here. It’s very dangerous. But he doesn’t want to go anywhere. I don’t know what to do in this situation.”
With no communications or utilities, even lighting a fire for warmth or cooking is dangerous. For this reason, ACTED and Ukrainian organization Save Peace, with funding from the UHF, are helping the most vulnerable people remaining in these areas with ready-to-eat food.
Each kit contains 20 rations, like porridge with meat, vegetables and a dessert. The food does not need cooking, which is safer for the people here. It allows people to have ready-to-eat food supplies for about 10 days, in case hostilities intensify and they can’t leave the shelter.
“My older daughter lives in Dnipro and we are here with my younger one for now,” says Natalia in Toretsk city, which is about 7km from the front line. “Help with any kind of food is very important to us – a little goes a long way in saving money. We want to move to Dnipro or Zaporizhzhya,” she adds.
Original story: adapted from articles by ACTED
More information about the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund