Categories
News Humanitarian/Medical

CUSAP missions restore hope for a better-quality life.

It has been nineteen months since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started in an almost 10-year-long war. Thousands of lives have been lost, and thousands are forever changed by injuries sustained either on the battlefield or while simply waiting for a bus or turning in for the night. During the twenty-first century, in the heart of Europe, this is the reality of millions in Ukraine.

Surviving a mine blast or a missile attack is a blessing, but it is also the beginning of a long and painful journey to recovery. Veterans and civilians with craniofacial, head and neck, and orthopedic injuries who cannot be further helped in Ukraine are referred to the Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program (CUSAP), where a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, internists, nurses, and support staff deliver complex, life-altering reconstructive surgeries and pre- and post-surgical care to give patients a chance to return to a normal life.

For a glimpse into the life-altering work of the CUSAP team, we would like to share the story of Pavlo, one of 286 patients helped since the program was established in 2014 by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre under the leadership of CUSAP’s head surgeon, Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn.

About a third of patients return for multiple missions as their injuries are so severe that their recovery is a multi-step process with many procedures performed by the multidisciplinary team of surgeons. Pavlo is one of such repeat patients. He sustained a mine blast injury on August 31, 2022. He was missing the midsection of his face with full exposure of his nasal cavity. Pavlo was referred to CUSAP and became a patient in November 2022, CUSAP’s second mission in Poland.

To date, he has undergone reconstruction of his nasal framework, followed by nasal reconstruction and lip reconstruction and revision. Between missions, he was operated on by Dr. Oleksandr Lompas, a Ukrainian surgeon, who joined several missions and operated alongside Dr. Antonyshyn and the Canadian team. Dr. Lompas managed Pavlo’s case in Ukraine and performed smaller operations to maintain his progress and prepare him for the more significant procedures on the missions.

Please meet Pavlo and see his progress with CUSAP…

Photos by Andrey Syrko

On Tuesday, September 26, Pavlo had another long set of surgical procedures done by the CUSAP multidisciplinary team to further reconstruct his midface with a forearm flap and bone and skin grafts.

As Pavlo nears the end of his recovery, there are many more who are only at the beginning. As the war continues and Ukraine fights to liberate its land and people from under Russian occupation, more veterans and civilians will need reconstructive surgical aid.

We are grateful for the generosity and steadfast support of our donors for enabling the CUSAP team to restore hope and change lives of hundreds of Ukrainians, like Pavlo, who have suffered a serious physical toll as a direct result of war.

To continue supporting the Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program, please visit www.cufoundation.ca. Thank you, Дякуємо, Merci.

Background

Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established in 1995 to coordinate, develop, organize and implement aid projects created by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. Read more about CUF’s history on Wikipedia.

Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program (CUSAP) was established by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation together with the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre to help Ukrainians who were severely injured during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013 and the subsequent war in Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Since then, Canadian plastic surgeons have operated on 286 patients – civilians and veterans. The surgeries have significantly improved the quality of life of Ukrainians who undergo the operations.

Categories
News Humanitarian/Medical

Access to safe water renewed for 25,000 people in 36 villages of Kherson oblast.

Russia has relentlessly targeted civilian infrastructure in the Kherson Oblast, leaving many villages without a safe water supply. Access to clean water is not just a necessity but also a fundamental human right. Before the area was liberated from Russian occupation, water pumps and towers were damaged, destroyed and stolen by the occupying forces.

The Kakhovka Dam, a crucial part of Kherson’s civilian water infrastructure, was repeatedly targeted by Russian artillery and completely destroyed on June 6th, resulting in thousands of people losing access to fresh, drinkable water.

An additional challenge faced by these impacted communities is the lack of a regular water supply for their crops and household vegetable gardens, which causes poor yields. While already having to withstand daily Russian rocket attacks, the destruction of water supplies—the lifeline of these rural communities—adds yet another threat to their survival. 

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) through their joint effort – the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA), have ensured that 36 villages in Kherson’s Beryslav Region along the Dnipro River regain access to safe water by contributing USD $50,000 to the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), enabling the purchase and delivery of 40 submersible water pumps and 60 1,000-litre water tanks.

UCCA, a well-established non-profit organization and founding member of the Ukrainian World Congress, is working closely with Ukraine Protection and Development Fund (UPDF) to ensure the efficient and effective allocation of these water pumps and tanks. The villages receiving this assistance are among the most underserved for humanitarian aid in the area, primarily due to their dangerous proximity to Russian forces, with some located just a few hundred meters from the frontline. 

The funds for this project were collected at a fundraiser breakfast featuring a keynote address by the Honorable Bob Rae on June 27th. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, over 25,000 local and internally displaced people now have access to clean water. This relief not only provides immediate assistance to these villages but also ensures their long-term sustainability. Together, we are making a significant impact on the lives of thousands of Ukrainians affected by the war. However, our work is far from over. We will continue to advocate for the rights of these communities and strive for a future where access to clean water is guaranteed for all. 

The aid that the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has been delivering to Ukraine over the past 19 months is vast and diverse, and is made possible by our steadfast supporters – thank you!

Background

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in January of 2022 by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) to coordinate the provision of humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to civilians impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including relief for displaced persons in Europe and Canada. To date, we have delivered over $47 million in food, medicine, emergency shelter, mental health support, surgical aid, firefighter gear, individual first aid kits, ambulances, generators, and many more types of aid.

Please click here to read further about our humanitarian relief efforts since the full-scale invasion on February 24th, 2022.

Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established in 1995 to coordinate, develop, organize and implement aid projects created by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. Read more about CUF’s history on Wikipedia and donate.

Categories
News Humanitarian/Medical

CUSAP Team Lands in Poland for the Fourth Surgical Mission.

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is pleased to announce the fourth humanitarian surgical aid mission of the Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program (CUSAP), which will take place from September 17 to October 4, 2023, in Poland. 

Next week, CUSAP surgeons, internists, nurses, and support staff will travel to Poland to deliver complex and life-altering surgeries to Ukrainians injured during Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.  

Every CUSAP mission hopes to ease the tremendous burden on the Ukrainian healthcare system by lending the time and expertise of our highly skilled and dedicated volunteer medical professionals, who deliver surgeries as well as pre- and post-surgical care with integrity and compassion. 

Photos taken by Andrey Syrko

The Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program would not be possible without the help of our collaborators and the support of hundreds of donors. 

In addition to funding from the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, we would like to express our gratitude to two incredibly generous anonymous donors, who contributed $200,000.00 CAD and $75,000.00 USD to fund the September 2023 CUSAP mission. 

It is the generosity of all our donors and supporters that enables the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to restore hope and change the lives of Ukrainians who have suffered a serious physical toll as a direct result of the war. Thank you, Дякуємо, Merci! 

To make your contribution and follow the latest news on CUSAP, please click hereCanadian donations are eligible for tax receipts from the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. 

Background

CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in 2022 by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) to coordinate the provision of humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to civilians impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including relief for displaced persons in Europe and Canada.

To date, we have delivered over $46 million in food, medicine, emergency shelter, mental health support, surgical aid, firefighter gear, individual first aid kits, ambulances, generators, and many more types of aid.

Please click here to read further about our humanitarian relief efforts since the full-scale invasion on February 24th, 2022.

Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established in 1995 to coordinate, develop, organize and implement aid projects created by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. Read more about CUF’s history on Wikipedia and donate.

Categories
News Humanitarian/Medical Projects

Four boats handed over to State Emergency Services of Ukraine for Special Rescue Operations

Ukraine has been living in a state of full-scale war since February 24, 2022. Its civilian infrastructure has been targeted on a daily basis – from residential buildings, hospitals, schools, day cares, and town squares, to power grids and, more recently, the Kakhovka water dam, that significantly escalated the humanitarian and caused ecological catastrophe in Ukraine, leaving behind an irreversible and devastating impact on the lives of thousands.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam revealed shortages in the stock of rescue boats and other equipment available to the branch of Ukraine’s State Emergency Services in Kherson, which was due to the region’s occupation by Russia for over 9 months. During that time, the offices and supply warehouses of the State Emergency Services in the area were robbed and damaged.

As reported in June, following the attack on the Kakhovka Dam on June 6th, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), through their joint effort – Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, immediately redirected the delivery of food boxes and family emergency kits (consisting of a water purification unit, hygiene kit and a solar light) to the regions affected by the disaster. As of today, the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has also donated 4 motorized rescue boats – 2 Ribs and 2 Navigators, to the State Emergency Services of Ukraine in an effort to begin replenishing their stock.

“In order to save people during the flood caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, rescuers of the State Emergency Services brought boats from other departments across Ukraine. For example, 90% of the watercraft kept in Kyiv, were transferred to Kherson region,” explains Oleksandr Melnyk, deputy head of the department of special technical support of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Services. “Therefore, the boats we now received through the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, are very important, as we will be able to start replenishing some of our emergency stock located in various regions.”

Two Navigator boats received by the State Emergency Services were transferred to their branch in the city of Dnipro, and two hard-bottomed Rib boats were transferred to the Kyiv branch. 

The aid that the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has been delivering to Ukraine over the past 18 months is vast and diverse, and is made possible by our donors – thank you!

Background

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in 2022 by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) to coordinate the provision of humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to civilians impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including relief for displaced persons in Europe and Canada.

To date, we have delivered over $44 million in food, medicine, emergency shelter, mental health support, surgical aid, firefighters gear, individual first aid kits, ambulances, generators, and many more types of aid. Please click here to read further about our humanitarian relief efforts since the full-scale invasion on February 24th, 2022.

Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established in 1995 to coordinate, develop, organize and implement aid projects created by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. Read more about CUF’s history on Wikipedia and donate.

Categories
News Holodomor National Awareness Tour

The Holodomor National Awareness Tour – Program of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation since 2014

Holodomor describes the 1932-1933 famine-genocide of Ukraine, where millions of Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death by the brutal policies imposed by the communist regime of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation developed the Holodomor National Awareness Tour (HNAT) program in 2014 to foster education and bring awareness of the Holodomor to Canadians.

The Holodomor Mobile Classroom (HMC), a state-of-the-art education center, helps educate Canadians of all ages on the tragic historic events of the Holodomor and is a key component of the HNAT program. To date, the HMC has visited 525 schools engaging over 43,400 students and educators and connected with over 24,675 people across Canada at 289 community events.

Holodomor Mobile Classroom (HMC)

The Holodomor Mobile Classroom is a unique learning environment that uses cutting-edge technology to fully immerse and assist students in learning about the Holodomor in a digital classroom on wheels.

The fusion of technologies and interactive content that was developed for this program, defines an entirely new way to conduct lessons allowing both the facilitator and students to actively engage with each other.


This year, the focus of the Holodomor National Awareness Tour is on eastern and western Canada as well as commemorating the 90th Anniversary of Holodomor.

The travels started out in the latter half of May visiting schools in New Brunswick which HNAT originally planned for the spring of 2020 before COVID shut everything down and as such was not completed.

After several very engaging days in New Brunswick, and a brief stop in Sydney, Nova Scotia where we took part in the Ukrainian Festival of Culture based at the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church Parish Hall, we continued to Newfoundland, marking our first visit to the province. We spent ten days in Newfoundland visiting schools in Corner Brook and St. John’s where we received a very warm and positive reception from both students and staff at the schools visited.


Funding for the creation and implementation of the Holodomor National Awareness Tour was initially obtained through Federal and Provincial government grants, private sector sources, and individuals.

Funding, especially from Government sources, has evaporated in light of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine as governments and much of the private sector and individuals overwhelmingly focus their support to deal with the current humanitarian and military needs of Ukraine.

At the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, we have also redirected the majority of our efforts to alleviate the humanitarian damage of the illegal war caused by Russia. Nevertheless, we recognize that it would not be wise to lose some of the very important projects we have developed in an effort to forestall a repetition of the horrible lessons from history. That is why we are turning to you, to ensure that the Holodomor memory remains a relevant force in the 21st century.

We are appealing to you to help us raise sufficient funding to commemorate this 90th Anniversary of the Holodomor and to continue teaching Canadians about this genocide.


Background

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is a national charitable foundation established in 1995 at the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress to coordinate, develop, organize and deliver assistance projects by Canadians directed to Ukraine and other organizations in Canada. For more information: www.cufoundation.ca

To learn more about the Holodomor National Awareness Tour (HNAT): https://holodomortour.ca/

Categories
News Humanitarian/Medical

Canada-Ukraine Foundation delivers 100 MOVES® SLC™ life-support systems to Ukraine.

This week, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) delivered 100 “Thornhill Medical” integrated life-support systems, MOVES® SLC™, to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to be used in land and air transport of critically injured patients as well as other critical care environments.

The life-support systems were donated to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation by the Government of Canada. Thornhill Medical is contributing casualty care training and other medical equipment. CUF is adding on ventilator cartridges, which are in low supply in Ukraine and are essential for the MOVES® SLC™ to function properly.

Delivery of the 100 MOVES® SLC™ is the largest deployment of this life-saving technology since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. MOVES® SLC™, which is a micro-integrated life support system designed for the provision of medical care in conflict and disaster-stricken zones, is already in use across Ukraine. Nicknamed “the medical Javelin” by Ukraine’s government and front-line healthcare providers, the technology is being used to support patients in hospitals, in forward surgical situations, on ambulances and evacuation medical trains. Now, there will be even more units to save lives.

“We are honoured to receive this very generous donation from the Government of Canada and direct it to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health,” said Victor Hetmanczuk, Chair of the CUF Board. “Delivery of this one-of-a-kind medical technology from Thornhill Medical will respond to the urgent requests from Ukraine’s healthcare and government officials and, more importantly, these 100 life-support systems will save lives of many critically injured Ukrainians.”

“Thornhill Medical is pleased to support the Canada-Ukraine Foundation’s efforts to help Ukraine’s front-line medical providers, as they face ever-growing number of civilian casualties with life-threatening injuries,” said Lesley Gouldie, President and CEO of Thornhill Medical. “It is imperative that NGOs, international governments and organizations continue to come together to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid.”


On August 2nd, Sean Boyd, Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission of Canada to Ukraine officially handed these units over to Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine.

“The Government of Canada has been working with the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to provide Ukraine with more portable life support systems. We were glad to hear that the first systems we sent, were vital in ambulances and other transportation evacuating the injured and helped save many lives. Now, Ukraine’s First Responders will have another 100 units of this equipment,” said Sean Boyd, Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission of Canada to Ukraine. “We admire the courage and resilience of Ukrainian doctors, nurses and combat medics. Let these portable life support units help them in their heroic and important work saving lives of Ukrainian patients.”

“Every day since the full-scale invasion (on February 24th, 2022), Ukrainian doctors, like every Ukrainian, have been living and working under the enemy’s attack. (Russian) missiles continuously target and destroy (Ukraine’s) medical infrastructure and civilian objects – the injured and wounded need urgent medical care, especially, during the evacuation and transportation from the site of the attack to the hospital,” said Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine. “The portable life support systems received by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine from the Government of Canada, delivered by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, will be sent to stabilization centers and emergency and disaster response teams. We highly appreciate the support of our international partners and their assistance on the “medical front.” Portable life support systems will help monitor patients’ vital signs, provide artificial lung ventilation to those in critical condition, and prevent complications during transportation to hospitals.”


Background

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is a national charitable foundation established in 1995 at the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress to coordinate, develop, organize and deliver assistance projects by Canadians directed to Ukraine and other organizations in Canada. For more information: www.cufoundation.ca

Thornhill Medical’s ground-breaking products are designed to be used globally by emergency health care providers, humanitarian, and military medical teams. Thornhill’s oxygen-focused research and commercial technologies are transforming patient care in humanitarian and military environments, while inspiring and enabling other new technologies to unlock vital life-saving solutions. Thornhill Medical’s innovations are in 19+ countries including in Ukraine. With a team committed to courage, collaboration and saving lives, Thornhill Medical leads the way in the nimble and precision-focused field of medical technologies. For more information: www.thornhillmedical.com

Categories
News Community/Education

Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Shevchenko Foundation congratulate the recipients of the CUF Bursary Fund for Displaced Post-Secondary Ukrainian Students

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Shevchenko Foundation (TSF) announced a new bursary on June 1 to provide financial assistance for displaced Ukrainians enrolled in Canadian post-secondary learning institutions.

The overwhelming response resulted in the disbursement of 61 bursaries totalling $302,500. The students are from 21 cities in Ukraine and will be studying at 30 different educational institutions across Canada.

“The Shevchenko Foundation has demonstrated leadership in scholarships and bursaries for students for decades – once again, they have demonstrated they were the ideal partner to receive these funds from CUF and administer this program,” said Orest Sklierenko, President and CEO of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. “CUF was happy to fully support this initiative for displaced Ukrainian students in Canada.”

“The overwhelming response to the funding program demonstrated a need that, in partnership with CUF, we were able to address. We’re grateful to CUF for partnering with TSF on this invaluable initiative,” stated TSF President Boris Balan. “We congratulate the bursary recipients and wish them well on their educational journey.”

This type of programming is possible thanks to the continued and generous support of our many donors. To learn about the many initiatives of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, please go to our website.

Background

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is a national charitable foundation established in 1995 at the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress to coordinate, develop, organize and deliver assistance projects by Canadians directed to Ukraine and other organizations in Canada.

The Shevchenko Foundation is a leading nationwide charitable organization entrusted to preserve, develop, and promote Ukrainian Canadian arts, heritage, community, and education.

Categories
News

Myhal Family Foundation announces pledge of $6M to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation in support of humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine.

Rayla Myhal, President of the Myhal Family Foundation, and Orest Sklierenko, President & CEO of CUF

Early in 2022, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) established the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. As a result of the generosity of donors from across Canada, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th 2022, the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal was well-positioned to respond in a timely manner. The first tranche of humanitarian aid via the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal reached Ukraine 4 days after the invasion. The broad and robust support of the appeal in the early days included a generous donation of $250,000 from the Myhal Family Foundation.

Founded in 1995, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation has an almost 30-year track record of delivering aid to Ukraine. Since February 2022, the joint CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has delivered over $35M in emergency humanitarian aid to the many millions of Ukrainians affected by the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since WWII.

Recognizing CUF’s long-standing track record, especially the work it has done over the past 18 months, the Myhal Family Foundation has announced further support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal with the pledge of $6,000,000 over the next three years.

“It is an honour to receive such a generous endorsement from the Myhal Family Foundation, created by Rayla and George Myhal, which has supported a diverse range of important causes in Canada”, said Orest Sklierenko, President and CEO of CUF.

“Russia’s genocidal war on Ukraine continues, and the Ukrainian people, however resilient and brave, need our unwavering support to survive and ensure victory for Ukraine. We hope our donation will enable CUF to continue strategic delivery of essential and critical aid to Ukraine”, said Rayla Myhal, President of the Myhal Family Foundation.

“The first donation of $2,000,000 has been received and is being directed towards the identified critical needs in Ukraine via the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Rayla and George Myhal for their faith in our work”, said Victor Hetmanczuk, Chair of the Board of Directors of CUF.

To read about the humanitarian relief work of the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, or to make a donation today, please go to our website.

Categories
News Fundraising Events

The Honourable Bob Rae delivers a keynote address on the war against Ukraine at a fundraiser event in Toronto in support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

War in Ukraine continues. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 23,606 civilian casualties in the country: 8,791 killed and 14,815 injured (May 8, 2023). In addition, 5.4M are internally displaced. OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration.

Witnessing the scale of this humanitarian catastrophe in the heart of Europe in 21st century, Bert Clark of Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO) and Jeff Lang of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) were compelled to organize a fundraiser for Ukraine, where The Honourable Bob Rae, Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations and a long-term supporter of Ukraine, delivered a keynote address on “Leadership in Times of Global Crisis: The Russian War against Ukraine.”

The organizers chose the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal – a joint effort of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), to receive the proceeds from this fundraiser. In Mr.Clark’s own words to his colleagues in the finance industry, “CUF is a charity doing important work to address the hardship many Ukrainians are suffering.”

His message echoed with many, including Tim Griffin of Connor, Clark and Lunn Financial Group, who joined the organizers in helping to fill the room.

With almost 250 people in attendance, the fundraiser breakfast, held on June 27th, raised over $300,000 for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Orest Sklierenko (President and CEO, CUF) and Alexandra Chyczij (President, UCC) were both in attendance and expressed their gratitude for the trust and generosity shown by so many supporters.

The funds raised through this event will be directed to help relieve the aftermath of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine that sparked a water crisis in the region, which experts fear could last for generations.

“Sanitation, drilling of new wells, water pump replacement, and installation of new water storage containers in the rural villages of the Kherson oblast impacted by the flooding, will be a large project the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) undertakes this July”, said Victor Hetmanczuk, Chair of the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief committee (UHRC) that manages Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal fund. He continued, saying that UHRC has just approved increased production of the water purification kits from 900 to 1,500 weekly (15,000 units in total), which will then be sent regularly to Kherson region for distribution to individual families. Also, delivery of food boxes (10,000) will continue for the foreseeable future, as understandably, the fields and food storage units were flooded and the food production in the area is significantly impaired.

What began as an idea to help Ukraine, will now have a lasting impact on lives of thousands in war-stricken Ukraine. CUF and UCC would like to express their gratitude to The Honourable Bob Rae for his time, insightful address and for standing with Ukraine, and to Bert Clark, Jeff Lang and Tim Griffin, as well as a small but mighty committee who helped with the organization of the event: Thomas Robson (IMCO), Taras Hetmanczuk, Andrij Maleckyj (UCC, CUF) and Peter Sochan (CUF), “Your efforts and the generosity of so many who responded to your call, will ensure people in the severely impacted areas of Ukraine will have access to a clean water supply for years to come.”

Background

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in 2022 by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) to coordinate the provision of humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to civilians impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including relief for displaced persons in Europe and Canada.

To date, we have delivered over $35 million in food, medicine, emergency shelter, mental health support, surgical aid, firefighter gear, individual first aid kits, ambulances, generators, and many more types of aid.

Please click here to read further about our humanitarian relief efforts since the full-scale invasion on February 24th, 2022.

Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established in 1995 to coordinate, develop, organize and implement aid projects created by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. Read more about CUF’s history on Wikipedia.

Categories
News

HUMANITARIAN AID DELIVERED TO KHERSON, MYKOLAIV AND ODESA IN THE MIDST OF HUMANITARIAN AND ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHE

As of June 11th, “across the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast and in Mykolaivska oblast, evacuations, access to drinking water, food and hygiene items are the main pressing needs of thousands of families impacted by the disaster” [destruction of Kakhovka Dam]. (OCHA, June 11, 2023). At least 2,700 people are displaced, including 190 children, and over 4,300 houses remain flooded.

On June 7th, a day after Kakhovka Dam was destroyed by Russian forces, you received a note from the Canada-Ukraine Foundation that through the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal fund we were directing immediate deployment of food boxes to Mykolaiv and Odesa, the cities receiving evacuees from flooded Kherson, and further assessing needs on the ground with our partners in Ukraine.

  • On Sunday, June 11th, 2,560 food boxes were delivered directly to Kherson – volunteers from the charitable organization “Angel of Life” trucked and distributed the food boxes to those in dire need, despite the continuous shelling of Kherson by Russian forces. Local residents expressed their sincere gratitude for this timely and much-needed aid.
  • On June 12th and 13th, over 3,000 food boxes were delivered by our partner, GlobalMedic, to Odesa and Mykolaiv for immediate distribution by local NGOs to the evacuees from Kherson.

This type of immediate and robust response would not be possible without your unwavering support.

Please donate today at cufoundation.ca to enable us to continue delivering timely and effective humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine affected by Russia’s genocidal war of destruction.

Background

Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in 2022 by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) to coordinate the provision of humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to civilians impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including relief for displaced persons in Europe and Canada.

To date, we have delivered over $35 million in food, medicine, emergency shelter, mental health support, surgical aid, firefighting gear, individual first aid kits, ambulances, generators, and many more types of aid.

Please click here to read further about our humanitarian relief efforts since the full-scale invasion on February 24th, 2022.

Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established in 1995 to coordinate, develop, organize and implement aid projects created by Canadians and directed to Ukraine. Read more about CUF’s history on Wikipedia.