Heather Bellamy spoke with Mission Without Borders UK National Manager, Carly Jones.



Continued from page 1

Carly: We are helping on two levels. We are regularly transporting truckloads of aid into Eastern Ukraine. We've got a key partnership with Lugansk Regional Hospital, which has been very severely affected. We are providing them with things like mattresses and hospital beds and basic supplies such as food as well.

We are also supporting lots of the local churches in the area to run a rehabilitation programme and providing the essentials in Eastern Ukraine, but also more widely, because this is something that is affecting the whole of Ukraine. Although the East is the worst affected, all of those displaced people are moving and going to new communities.

Damaged properties Slovyansk
Damaged properties Slovyansk

The other element of our work is supporting refugees in the new communities that they are joining and supporting the people in those communities too, so that there is integration and they have a chance to rebuild their lives and start again.

Heather: Do you feel that there is a need for Governments and aid agencies to do more?

Carly: We would always call for more to be done in this kind of situation. Those circumstances are incredibly challenging for all of us and the Government is struggling to cope with demands for services and for support. For instance the Government did promise to subsidise people because of the rise in gas and electricity prices, but they are struggling to cope with that demand, because the infrastructure has been impacted as well. It's very challenging. We would always call for more because we believe that the Ukrainian people deserve that, but it is difficult and we do understand that other aid agencies including ourselves face challenges in getting support to the Ukrainian people.

Heather: So if anyone reading this today wanted to respond and do something to help the people in the Ukraine, what could they do?

Unloading MWB aid in war-torn east Ukraine
Unloading MWB aid in war-torn east Ukraine

Carly: We have an emergency section on our website that people can visit. We have just put a video on there, where people can see and really get more of an experience of what is going on for refugees in the Ukraine. I hope that that encourages people to make a small donation or contribution to our efforts in supporting people out there. But also, for people to continue to try and raise awareness of what's going on and to keep the light shining on Ukraine, because the conflict hasn't gone away. So continue to pray and continue to share our message with other people that they meet so that the conversation keeps happening and that we don't forget about the people there.

Heather: What is your website address?

Carly: Our website is www.mwbuk.org CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.