How could you explain war and violence to your young children? Could you find the right words to encourage them and keep them calm? Ukrainian mother, Olena, had to make the drastic decision to leave her hometown in order to keep her children safe. Olena’s story begins like so many other Ukrainian refugee mothers, who were forced to leave everything and flee to Poland.
It is really hard when you hear a bang, when the air sirens go off and your child asks, “Mom, what is it?”
-Olena
Olena’s account begins like so many other Ukraine crisis victims who have been forced to leave. Before they left, Olena found herself suddenly thrown into the harsh realities of the conflict in Ukraine. She and her son were suddenly startled by the sounds of air raid sirens. Naturally Olena’s son asked her what they were. Like so many mothers inundated with shock, she did not know what to tell him. As Russian missiles destroyed a military base and five homes around them, they joined the millions now evicted from their country by circumstance.
Ukraine Crisis Victims Continue To Cross Border For Safety
Thanks to the gifts of generous friends like you, Operation Blessing met this family and so many others to offer them a moment of safety and rest in the warm relief tent. As unfortunate families cross the border for their safety, your kindness is there to greet them. Your support provides warm meals, essential supplies and hygiene products to aid these crisis victims in their journey ahead.
WORLDWIDE – Conflict in Ukraine, droughts in Africa, COVID-19 lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, inflation, political crises—all of these have led to increasing numbers of hungry people! Even before these calamities, the United Nations reported that one in nine people in the world lacked sufficient food and face food insecurity. And now, the hunger situation in our world has reached a new crisis point. Children like Grace from Latin America too often go to bed hungry.
Thankfully, as a supporter of Operation Blessing, you can feel confident that you’re fighting hunger worldwide and all throughout the year. For Grace, you provided her mother with a poultry business that helped feed her family during a difficult time. In each region and situation, you make it possible for Operation Blessing to bring the solution that will provide the greatest impact.
Because of this, not only are you helping hungry children, families, and communities with their urgent needs for food and nutrition, you are also assisting them in lasting ways—like you did for Grace’s family! She’s thankful that you helped sustain them during the COVID-19 crisis.
Here Are A Few Of The Ways You Are Fighting Hunger Worldwide
U.S. Hunger Strike Force
In the U.S., many working families are having a difficult time making ends meet, especially during these days of soaring prices. You bless them by making possible the distribution of millions of pounds of food to local food pantries and other partner organizations. Large corporations donate food, and with your help we send out our fleet of Hunger Strike Force semi-trucks to get that food into the hands of those who need it most.
Famine Relief
When famine and drought strike vulnerable areas like Kenya, many people are robbed not only of food for their tables but also of their income opportunities. But you are rushing immediate relief to the suffering and malnourished, ensuring that so many more children and families go to bed with full bellies.
Nutritional Feeding
Many children around the world lack the nutritious meals they need to grow and thrive. Through our nutritional feeding programs, you give school children in places like Kenya, Peru and Haiti the extra support they need. Not only do you supply supplements and nourishing school meals, but in parts of Latin America you also offer cooking classes to teach mothers how to prepare healthier meals for years to come.
Agricultural & Farming Programs
In parts of Latin America and Africa, Operation Blessing supporters supply villages and schools with agricultural training, irrigation systems, greenhouses, chicken coops, and small farm animals. These solutions offer struggling families and individuals a chance to grow food for their families long into the future—and even sell the surplus to better provide for necessities like medical expenses and education.
Business & Livelihood Support
One of the best ways to provide hunger relief long into the future is by offering a hand up rather than a hand out. Through skills training and small business support, you are changing lives for generations to come. Whether it’s a handicraft business in Latin America, a small store in Africa, cosmetology training in Honduras, sewing classes in India, or one of the many other opportunities available, you are helping families earn more income to consistently feed their children and send them to school.
Disaster & Crisis Relief
When crisis and natural disaster strike, basic needs like food, hygiene supplies, and clean water often go unmet. But you send support to disaster victims in dire need. In the U.S., our volunteer teams have been packing boxes of supplies to prepare for upcoming disasters. We’ve recently distributed hunger relief after earthquakes in Indonesia and typhoons in the Philippines. Meanwhile, we’ve been sending truckloads of food into war-torn Ukraine.
UKRAINE – Recently all eyes have been on Ukraine, yet—thanks to friends like you— Operation Blessing has been at work in Ukraine for decades. Although this current war in the region created turmoil like never before, there has been conflict on the border with Russia for years. Life for many Ukrainian people has not been easy. That’s why Operation Blessing has been there, providing suffering Ukrainians with life-changing surgeries.
Svitlana’s life in Ukraine slowly started to become dim as she gradually lost more and more of her vision. The then-66-year-old wife and grandmother had been diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes, and without help she was in danger of going completely blind.
As her eyesight became worse, Svitlana still did her best to care for her disabled elderly father, as well as her husband. The care her father required left little time or money to seek treatment for her eyes. But her impaired vision soon affected her ability to live her life. She went to a specialized clinic where doctors recommended she undergo immediate lens replacement surgery in Ukraine.
While Svitlana was desperate to save her vision, she and her husband lived on very small pensions. Paying for the surgery on their own was simply not possible. Sadly, Svitlana’s vision continued to get worse. Eventually, she could no longer complete household chores, enjoy photos of her precious grandchildren, or even see what she was buying at the market.
“Until 2018, I could clearly see my children growing up, then grandchildren, and then beautiful and cute great-grandchildren were born,” Svitlana told Operation Blessing staff. “There is nothing sweeter in this world than great-grandchildren, but I could not see their faces!”
The circumstances seemed hopeless. But that’s when Operation Blessing donors like you stepped in to make a difference. Coming together, you helped raise the funds that Svitlana needed to receive her surgery.
New Vision After Lens Replacement Surgery
After the procedure, Svitlana regained her sight—something she could not have imagined just months before! This wonderful change made it possible for her to care for herself and her family and to see the faces of her beloved great-grandchildren again.
She is very grateful for the compassion you showed in helping her find healing. “When I had the operation and I opened my eyes, I saw the doctor with my own eyes. Clearly, with the contours and all the colors,” Svitlana exclaimed. “I immediately started crying tears of happiness. I couldn’t believe that the operation was really restoring my sight! Thank Operation Blessing for not passing by my need.”
Svitlana’s story and others like hers are just some of the ongoing efforts of Operation Blessing in Ukraine. Beyond just medical procedures like lens replacement surgery in Ukraine, you are doing so much more. You are sending relief and hope to those displaced by conflict, including so many Ukrainian refugees fleeing to find safety beyond the Polish border.
Helping Ukraine In So Many Ways
Your generosity has made it possible to welcome refugees with hot meals, blankets, and hygiene supplies, along with sending aid like fresh produce, canned meats, and more into Ukraine. And you’ve continued to bless even more hurting people during the conflict with life-changing surgeries whenever hospitals were available!
Thank you for caring for victims of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Together, we are making a real difference in their lives. Your continued support is an answer to heartfelt prayer fort those fighting to survive.
After an EF4 tornado struck Kathy’s town of Russellville, Kentucky, her home was left with serious damage. The storm hit as part of a string of deadly tornadoes that ravaged Kentucky and surrounding areas in December. Due to the building’s damaged ceilings and walls, as well as debris in her yard, single mother Kathy and her family needed help—and fast.
When Kathy learned that Operation Blessing teams were working in Russellville, she reached out for help with fixing the holes in her ceiling that had been created by the storm. Thanks to friends like you, not only did she receive the assistance she needed to repair her roof, but volunteers also helped clean up her yard and install new sheetrock and insulation inside her home!
“I credit God for getting us through the storm aftermath and helping us get it all cleaned up,” said Kathy. “Like today—for Operation Blessing coming in and helping us redo walls and windows and all they’re helping us with. I credit God for all that.”
For Operation Blessing coming in and helping us redo walls and windows and all they’re helping us with, I credit God for all that.
-Kathy
The aid came as a true blessing for Kathy, who lives on a limited disability income. She shared that it was already difficult enough providing for her teenage twin girls and her niece, but with the added weight of home repairs, she didn’t know how she would make it. That’s when you stepped in to make a difference.
Recovery For Kentucky Tornado Victims
Because of you, volunteers worked on the sheetrock on her ceilings and walls, laid down new flooring in her laundry room, and installed new windows—all steps on the road to recovery for Kathy and her family.
For Kathy, the facelift to her laundry room proved especially exciting. Until then, she had been limited in how often she could do something as simple as wash clothes, often having to wait for the electrical sockets to dry from rain leaking through the roof. She’s extremely thankful to God and Operation Blessing partners for reaching out to her and her family when they needed it most.
“Operation Blessing being here is really a blessing,” said Kathy. “It means so much to me. They will never know how much it means to me.”
Thank you for your heart to help victims of disaster in the U.S. and around the world. The work you make possible through Operation Blessing brings relief and hope for Kentucky tornado victims in their darkest times. May God bless you for your kindness and compassion!
POLAND – Operation Blessing sat down with Ania Kozack to hear her story of escape from violence with her younger brother. As is the case with so many other Ukrainians, Ania Kozack and her brother were forced to flee their homeland.
Ania relayed the shock when a Russian missile hit a home nearby. While war raged round them in their home country and on their street, she realized they were in grave danger. When they looked for refuge, they realized there were no safe places in Ukraine. This put them on their journey to reach the Polish border and safety from harm.
A Place Of Respite After A Harrowing Journey
Ania and her brother found themselves in an unfamiliar country. Operation Blessing was there to greet them and give them some respite from their difficult and tragic situation. Accordingly, the Operation Blessing tent provided them a welcoming place to rest and begin planning their next steps. They were also provided with a meal and a hot drink. Operation Blessing helped connect them with a local church partner to get ongoing support.
Simple things can mean a lot to a brother and sister who have had to leave everything due to events beyond their control. In this case, a sister who has very little and must take care of her younger brother. The difference offerings of kindness are making cannot be emphasized enough. Ania herself sums it up best when she says, “Human kindness is like one of the things that’s helped me going on.”
Human kindness is like one of the things that’s helped me going on.
You Make This Kindness Possible
Thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Operation Blessing has offered a place to rest, hot meals, and critical supplies to aid many families like Ania’s in their journey. Additionally, we’ve continued pumping semi-trucks full of supplies into war-torn Ukraine. Please continue to pray for the nation of Ukraine and find out how you can help crisis victims by visiting https://www.ob.org/crisis
PERU – Angie spent her days helping her mother sell chicken at a local market in Peru. But her life changed forever when she and Chemo found out they would be having a baby; they had no idea of the danger Angie would face!
As her pregnancy progressed, Angie was dedicated to keeping up with visits to the obstetrician. For her first ultrasound, Angie had to travel a great distance as the equipment was not available at her local health center. Thankfully, all was well with the baby.
“The first time I had an ultrasound, my baby was only four weeks old. They only said everything was okay,” Angie recalled. Time passed, and Angie was due for another ultrasound. Sadly, Angie and Chemo simply couldn’t afford the exam. Without an update on her baby’s health, Angie began to worry about her precious baby.
Ultrasound Brigade in Peru
Thankfully, help came when Operation Blessing donors like you sent an ultrasound brigade to Angie’s local health center. The program offers free ultrasound services to expectant mothers in need in Peru.
It was a true blessing for Angie, quite possibly saving her life and her child’s! “My doctor told me I needed an ultrasound, and that it was going to be my lucky day because Operation Blessing had brought an ultrasound. I was going to be able to see how my baby was, and for free, since I didn’t have money to get one. And I also wanted to stop having doubts if my baby was okay,” Angie told Operation Blessing staff.
After the ultrasound was complete, a doctor recommended she get another specialized one as he was concerned about the images he saw. “The doctor told me my baby didn’t have enough amniotic fluid and was small. She might be in danger. I was worried, and you all supported me,” Angie said.
Help For An Expectant Mother In Need In Peru
Thanks to Operation Blessing partners, Angie’s ultrasound costs were taken care of, and doctors were able to catch the problem in time to provide her help. Not long after, Angie was admitted to the hospital because of how dangerous the situation could be. A day later, she safely gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whom she named Jaciel.
After Jaciel’s birth, Operation Blessing staff visited the young family to check on them and deliver a newborn baby kit to help them care for their precious little girl. Because of your generosity, critical help was provided to this expecting mother in need in Peru. Operation Blessing was able to help this mother detect the danger in time—and support her through the entire process.
Knowing that his daughter is well has meant so much to the brand-new dad, Chemo. “I am grateful for you all, because of the ultrasound that allowed us to see how our baby was. I am so happy now that my daughter is okay. Thanks to you all, my daughter is here with me and alive.”
Thanks to you all, my daughter is here with me and alive
-Angie
“Thank you for everything!” The life-changing work you make possible through Operation Blessing brings hope to those in need around the world. Thank you for your heart to bless those less fortunate with the vital medical services they need to grow healthy and strong. May God bless you for your kindness!
UKRAINE – Thank you for your wonderful heart to help desperate Ukrainian families! Many have been forced from their homes to avoid increasing danger at the hands of Russian invaders, while others face untold suffering in this war-torn land.
Because of you, Operation Blessing staff quickly sprang into action at the start of the war. Your support facilitated partnerships with local churches and community leaders throughout Ukraine to help put supplies directly into the hands of Ukrainian families who need it.
Your generosity also supplied an Operation Blessing warehouse in Poland. This warehouse provides a central location to store and send out these critical supplies across the border into Ukraine as the war rages on.
Help And Support For Ukrainian Refugee Families
Your kindness also helped bring solace to scores of families facing an uncertain future in a new land. You provided a basecamp at the Ukrainian border in Medyka. Here, Operation Blessing staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to provide food, blankets, direction, encouragement, and a warm, safe haven for weary refugees.
Your generosity has offered critically needed support for desperate Ukrainian families. To learn more about how you can continue to support people in crisis, visit ob.org/obcrisis.
KENYA- In the Marsabit region, lack of food threatens the survival of all who call it home. Afflicted by a bitter drought in Kenya, the area has seen little rain this year. That severely dry condition has made it difficult for residents to sustain the provisions they need to live.
Here, most community members earn a living as pastoralists—raising goats, cows and camels to sell. They often wander the land, searching for vegetation and water to keep their livestock healthy. In the remote village of Tubcha, Diboya and her husband, Woromo, are small-scale herders who have felt the devastating effects of the lack of rain.
Without access to water, many of the couple’s animals died, putting the sole means of providing for their children in jeopardy. “It has been very hard for us this year,” Diboya explained sadly. “The drought has been very bad for us. Most of our animals have died, and that is what we depend on for our livelihood. We sell the livestock so we can buy food for our families. But now, with most of the livestock having died from lack of pasture, we can hardly find food.”
Bitter Drought In Kenya
As residents faced the harsh reality of the unforgiving drought, the government declared the situation a national disaster. Diboya and Woromo did everything they could to provide for their family, but with each day that passed, things continued to get worse. Food was scarce, and they were desperate for relief.
“As a mother, it breaks my heart when my children are crying because I cannot give them food,” Diboya said. “But mostly there is nothing to eat for days, and when we manage to get a little from neighbors, we are still worried about tomorrow.” As resources dwindled, so did hope. But thanks to the love of friends like you, help was on the way.
Through the generous support of Operation Blessing partners, food packages were donated to Diboya and her neighbors. In fact, about 150 families received enough food to last a month, along with water backpacks, lifting a heavy burden for villagers who had suffered for so long.
“Indeed, God has heard our prayers. No one has ever brought us food before,”Woromo said. “You have really touched our lives and given us hope. It is very hard when a father cannot provide for his children. Now I can smile again when I see my children eating and being happy once more.”
Thank you for the kindness you have shown to this community in need. Because of you, Operation Blessing is there when disaster strikes, to bring healing and hope to those who need it most. May God bless you for the life-changing support you give!
UKRAINE – For weeks now, the war in Ukraine has forced thousands of families to leave their homes and travel to the Poland border. Packed in cars, buses, and trains, many of these refugees have no idea where they are going. Operation Blessing sat down with Tamara and Tatyana, two Ukrainian mothers who met on one of the trains headed for the border.
They shared the story of their harrowing journey with us. Like so many others, they fled the tragic violence of the Russian invasion, leaving everything behind in search of safety. They fled shelling and bombs to keep their sons safe.
Ukrainian Refugees Find Relief
Because of the generosity of friends like you, Operation Blessing greeted these Ukrainian mothers and their children with food, a warm place to rest and recharge, and encouragement. We reach out right at the border with a heated tent, at a refugee center, and through various Polish churches.
At these rest spaces we provide toys and volunteers to play with kids. With your support, we’re also sending vital supplies throughout Poland and Ukraine.
Several of these families left their homes with minimal belongings and almost no critical travel supplies. You ensure Operation Blessing can provide these items to thousands of refugees. Please continue to pray for these families and make a gift of support today.
WORLDWIDE – Operation Blessing has hundreds of volunteers being the hands and feet of Jesus all across the globe. With your support, teams are quickly on the scenes of natural disasters and crises. They also reach out to meet medical and hunger needs. Operation Blessing volunteers go above and beyond the mission, and represent you and the Lord well.
Because of the generosity of friends like you, these volunteers are able to reach out to hurting people and let them know they are seen and loved. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to fulfill the Great Commission together? Thank you for joining the mission of Operation Blessing. To find out more about volunteering with Operation Blessing or to show your support, visit https://www.ob.org/disaster-relief/volunteer/
