ISHR Ukraine provides humanitarian aid in the country

International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) provides humanitarian aid in the Poltava region of Ukraine. This region is located on the “left” bank of the Dnieper river, which at present is almost cut off from the western part of the country. You can get from here to the “right” (western) bank of the Dnieper only through several cities that have bridges across this main river of the country.

Military conflict consumed three neighboring regions (Kiev, Sumy, and Kharkov), the fighting has also reached the northern part of the Poltava region. An increasing number of refugees come here from all directions which worsens an already complicated situation with vitally important products.

A lot of elderly people live in countless of the region’s villages. Unlike those who live in cities and large humanitarian aid distribution centers, these old people, who are unable to move freely over long distances, have practically lost access to basic food products: there is no bread, cereals, meat, and dairy products. The collapse of social infrastructure and economic ties also hit disabled people and families with small children. Villages and small towns do not have the necessary medicines (including painkillers and antipyretics), baby food, diapers, and other things that are vital for these vulnerable groups of the population.

Right now the task of the ISHR is to help these people, they should not be left alone during the time of war.

We visited the house where Svetlana (lives in the Poltava region), alone on a pension of about 100 $ per month, supports her daughter’s family with three children. Her relatives fled from the war to her village, to a house of only 30 m2 (around 300 square feet). The youngest child is four years old and diagnosed with autism. The mother planned to apply for his disability pension in March, but the war mixed up all the plans.

ISHR began to provide humanitarian aid to Svetlana and her family. We hope that with the help of other people we can make it regularly.

Anton Alekseyev

Information and Analytical Center of the International Society for Human Rights