You Are There In Their Toughest Times

KENYA – Life was already hard. Najire and her six children live as pastoral nomads, roaming to feed their livestock. Then a catastrophic drought swept across their region. Without rain to bring life to the land, most of Najire’s livestock starved to death, and her children appeared to be next. Help from friends like you was one of the few things that kept them going.

How A Community Survived A Catastrophic Drought With Your Help

Najire shared what it has been like weathering this trial, as a few weeks without rain have turned into many months of hopelessness. “This drought has been very long and very hard for us,” she said. “I am a single mother and I have to take care of my children all by myself. It is really hard to find food.”

She also shared that her family makes a living caring for a herd of goats, but since the drought struck, more than 90 percent of their animals have died. Najire said, “The remaining goats are so weak, it’s impossible to sell them. So now I can’t buy food for my family because I can’t get the money.”

It’s not just Najire and her family facing these terrible circumstances, either. Times are tough for everyone in Tubcha village and for most communities across their county. In the best of times, community residents live hard lives in small thatched huts that they must deconstruct and move for their nomadic lifestyle.

Lately, life has been all but impossible. “We are barely surviving,” Najire said. “On so many occasions, we sleep hungry because we have no food. The situation is getting worse. There were times you could beg some food from a neighbor, but now no one has any food around this village. Sometimes we just take some water and sleep. It is very hard on the children especially.”

You can imagine how these mothers and fathers must feel as they watch their families suffer. “It breaks my heart when I see my children crying because they are hungry, and yet there is nothing I can do to get them food. It’s very sad to see them lying down weak because they are too hungry to get out and play.”

But she is not alone. Your compassion has reached out to her in her worst moments, and to the whole community!

Najire’s fervent prayers to God were answered when your support sent Operation Blessing to her village with enough food to feed 150 families for more than three months. Since that time we’ve returned to provide holistic care to this village, including a medical brigade and a sack garden project to grow spinach and kale with minimal water. Now, they all have hope for tomorrow.

On their behalf, Najire offered her heartfelt thanks. “I knew God would not abandon us! He heard my prayers and has sent you to rescue us.” She said joyfully, “I can’t thank you enough! My children have enough food now and I don’t have to worry about what they will eat tonight or tomorrow. May God bless you indeed! Thank you!”

Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief

UPDATE 08/05/22 – Operation Blessing is continuing to send emergency food and water to those in need while offering volunteer support. Thanks to faithful partners, we’ve also set up a Mobile Kitchen and begun serving hot meals to hurting community members in and around Pikeville, KY.

In partnership with volunteers from East Kentucky Dream Center, teams are delivering hot meals directly to families. These efforts have been critical to residents in areas still struggling with food and water access since flooding caused extensive damage to local utilities and infrastructure.

UPDATE 08/03/22 – With help from compassionate supporters like you, Operation Blessing teams are on the ground in Kentucky with 12,000 pounds of Emergency Meal Kits for families in need. Flood-stricken residents continue to suffer from critically-low food and water supplies locally, so volunteers are hard at work packing the next loads.

Homeowners are also receiving volunteer help with debris removal and salvaging precious belongings as they try to recover after the storm. Continue to check back for more details, and please continue to pray for the communities affected by these tragic storm.

You can give a special gift to help disaster victims now.

KENTUCKY– On July 27, torrential rains swept across eastern Kentucky, causing a river to rise at record pace and overflow into the surrounding communities.

Powerful floodwaters swiftly devastated homes and businesses all across multiple counties, surprising people in the middle of the night. Residents were struck unprepared. And the cost was high.

Operation Blessing helps Victorious Faith Church in Kentucky offer critical supplies to neighbors in need.

Flooding in Eastern Kentucky Costs Lives

The storm covered hundreds of homes, ballparks, and public buildings in several feet of water, causing 12,000 people to lose power and tens of thousands to lose clean water access.

It also destroyed other critical infrastructure in key areas, including more than 50 bridges in Perry County. Search and rescue crews have had such difficulty accessing areas with major flooding that they are still trying to account for missing people days later.

What’s worse, the sudden storm has taken at least 30 lives, including the loss of several precious children. These families desperately need help and hope in this terrible time.

Teams Rush Relief to Kentucky Residents

Thanks to the ongoing support of generous friends like you, Operation Blessing teams quickly arrived on the ground to help hurting residents. And we aren’t coming empty handed—we’re bringing several thousand pounds of supplies.

Unpacking emergency meal kits for Kentucky flood relief.

For residents struggling with compromised water systems, partners like you offered them clean water in their time of need. And those facing the overwhelming task of cleaning out their flooded homes received much-needed supplies to help them get started.

We are also in the process of mobilizing volunteer support to help residents restore their homes and sort through precious belongings. In partnership with Connection Church in Kentucky, Operation Blessing family is showing Kentucky residents that God’s love is real and reaching out to them, and more help is being planned!

Please Pray for Storm Victims

Please pray for the families who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. As people suffer the loss of so much, they desperately need hope. Thank you for being part of our Operation Blessing family. You shine as a light in the darkness of disaster.

Help Disaster Victims Now

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“We will never forget the help we received here.”

UKRAINE—The war in Ukraine has displaced many millions of people who previously only knew peace. These displaced citizens have been forced to seek refuge in other countries and now find themselves in new and unfamiliar lands like Poland. They are unsure about their future.

Life is vastly different for them there than it was in the Ukraine. Families who had not lived in poverty find themselves in shelters and at frequent food distributions. Normal daily life for them is now on hold, with no clear timetable for when and where it will resume. Sadly, even this situation is much better than the violence they escaped in Ukraine.

Displaced Refugees From Ukraine

For many, the reality of invasion was incomprehensible and unexpected. This was the case for a Ukrainian refugee and mother named Liliya. She recounted her experience upon first learning of the invasion. Initially she thought it was a joke. Against the backdrop of a peaceful and prosperous life, it was unimaginable that her world was in the process of being turned upside down. But with increasing violence, staying home was not an option for Liliya.

Now, she is one of the displaced Ukrainian people whose lives are on hold as they watch the fate of a neighboring country they once called home. Liliya laments when she thinks of her happy, stable life that is now gone. She talks about the feelings of panic and the emotional strain that such an experience has put on her family. But YOU are making a difference.

Operation Blessing and Orphan’s Promise have been partnering with local churches and humanitarian groups to offer critical aid and support to Ukrainians fleeing from the war. Your donations help provide better lives for these unfortunate displaced refugees from Ukraine. Thanks to faithful friends like you, these families have plenty of fresh, healthy food, hygiene supplies, and a safe place to stay.

Sending Aid to the Elderly after Dangerous Flood

VIRGINIA – Operation Blessing is in Buchanan County, Virginia, providing aid to the elderly after a flood. This is part of a larger relief effort for the thousands of residents across the county who’ve been affected by recent flooding. The disaster occurred mid-July and did untold amounts of damage to the area.

Operation Blessing responded to help beleaguered residents who found themselves displaced from their homes and without basic services. Teams have helped provide food, supplies, and manpower to those in need.

We’ve recently been at the residence of Mrs. Beulah Laime, a victim of the flooding. Her home was impacted when raging floodwaters deposited massive amounts of mud, sticks, and flood debris underneath. This, of course, poses a risk to the foundation of her home. Operation Blessing has been helping her and others in her area to remove the debris so they can get back to normal.

Her daughter Julie was overwhelmed at the response of Operation Blessing volunteers coming to provide aid to the elderly after the flood. The Operation Blessing team and disaster volunteers diligently cleared the flood debris both to protect the structure and to make the home accessible for electricity restoration.

Beulah has received a tremendous blessing, thanks to friends like you. Yet, there’s still much to do, and it is only possible with your help!

Sowing The Seeds Of Independence

INDIA – There’s no question that coming alongside budding entrepreneurs can change lives and transform communities. In India, where approximately 70 percent of the population lives in villages, rural women play an essential role in supporting their families and communities. Yet all too often, they lack the support needed to help them break out of poverty.

That’s where Operation Blessing microenterprise and skills training projects—along with your support—come into the picture. These special projects focus primarily on rural women in India, because they struggle the most among the poor. With the help of these groups, women have an opportunity to empower each other through encouragement, education, and financial assistance to achieve their goals for a better future.

Women Like Deepa For Example

Deepa is a young wife and mother who lives in the remote village of Khatima in northeastern India, a region that’s crossed by the Himalaya mountains. Her husband doesn’t have a steady income, and their two-acre farm can’t support this family of six. Watching her family struggle for years, Deepa knew she was their best hope.

Microenterprise And Skills Training Projects In India

Today, thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Deepa and her family are benefiting from skills training that has empowered her to run a small dairy farm. Along with the in-depth education on how to oversee her farm, Deepa has learned bookkeeping and other essential skills to run her business.

A small loan allowed her to buy two buffaloes and two goats, and within just a few months she was selling milk in her village — enabling her to help support her family and begin repaying the loan. She has also started growing organic vegetables on their property and making use of composting, to increase the quality and yield of her crops. Working with Operation Blessing has given Deepa and her family so much hope for the future.

“I am grateful to the field coordinators for the training I received under the Operation Blessing projects,” Deepa said. Deepa is a shining example of what microenterprise and skills training projects in India can do to help the lives of people in need.

Our extraordinary partners made it possible for Deepa to lead the way in her village, change her family’s future, and be an inspiration to her community. Thank you for making such a huge difference for these precious families in India!

Hunger Relief Event for Ukraine Refugees

POLAND – As early as 4:00 a.m., Kseniia and many other crisis victims arrive at Operation Blessing’s hunger relief distribution event in Krakow, Poland. Forced from their homes due to the Russian invasion, they are refugees in a foreign land.

Most are unemployed and lack a long-term plan as they bide their time in Poland. They need real, tangible assistance to get to tomorrow, and thanks to you, Operation Blessing is ready to help.

In Poland, however, helping refugees has become increasingly difficult due to a lack of funding. Thankfully, with the support of Operation Blessing partners, we’re linking arms with Fundacja On Life, Fundacja Nidaros, and DNA Church to distribute hundreds of bags of food to Ukraine crisis victims.

Hunger Relief Distribution Event In Kraków

Each bag of food supplies is enough to sustain a hurting family for at least two weeks. In addition to providing food and supplies, Operation Blessing is encouraging the hearts of crisis victims. Our team prayed for families at the hunger relief distribution event to show God’s love for them and lift their spirits in this difficult time.

Operation Blessing also partnered with Superbook to bless the children staying in different shelters with uplifting events and programs to bring them an extra dose of joy.

Thank you again so much for your priceless support of Ukrainian refugees!

Emergency Food Kits for Virginia Flood Victims

VIRGINIA – In mid July, a terrible storm producing dangerous floods hit Buchanan County in Northern Virginia. Residents were taken aback by the speed and volume of the floodwaters. “It almost looked like the sky opened up and just dumped on that area,” said Marcella who lives in the community.

Reports of homes affected by this disaster are still climbing above 400, with a quarter of those homes now destroyed or uninhabitable. Marcella has witnessed the devastation to neighborhoods firsthand, including the damaged houses of her co-worker and family members.

Soon after the storm, Operation Blessing teams were launched to offer supplies and volunteer help to Virginia flood victims. Thanks to our faithful volunteers and the support of friends like you, Emergency Food Kits were packed and ready to go to meet the needs of hurting residents. These meal kits last for days and do not require water or electricity. We are also mobilizing volunteer support to help community members restore their homes.

Marcella said, “It’s such a blessing for folks here in this nestled little mountains to have Operation Blessing come to our aid and to be able to donate supplies and their time to help others that they don’t even know.”

There is a lot of work still ahead for this community, but with your compassionate assistance, Operation Blessing is dedicated to continue blessing the people of Buchanan County.

To find out how you can help, visit www.ob.org/disasterrelief today.

Changing Khalil’s Life

NIGERIA – When 17-year-old Khalil was involved in a bad car accident, he suffered severe burns on his left foot. Sadly, as his body tried to heal from the injury, the burns contracted and his foot grew deformed. He couldn’t walk properly or use his foot as he should…until friends like you came long.

His father, Ahaji, said, “I watched helplessly as my son suffered. He could no longer wear shoes or play soccer, which he loved to play with his friends. This affected him even in his performance in school.”

For a young man like Khalil, the lifelong ramifications of his condition were devastating. Surgery was possible—and would have helped Khalil—but his parents with their six children and very limited income would never be able to afford the cost. “I have always thought that this was how my leg was going to be all my life,” Khalil said.

burn damage to foot after a car accident

Life Changing Burn Surgery For Khalil

Then, Khalil’s uncle saw an advertisement for Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing Surgery program that restored their hope! In fact, friends like you came together to help change Khalil’s life by contributing to a special campaign to provide him with the burn surgery he needed.

Today, things look very different for Khalil’s future as he dreams of becoming a pharmacist. “Getting to know I would get the surgery to correct the deformity made me so happy,” he shared. “Thank you! … Now I can focus on my senior secondary school certificate examination.”

Ahaji said, “I want to thank almighty God for using your organization to help my son.”

Ahaji said, “I want to thank almighty God for using your organization to help my son.”
-Khalil’s Father Ahaji

Thanks to the compassion of Operation Blessing partners, Khalil and so many others in need of burn surgery have been given the gift of hope and a new lease on life. To learn how you can help a patient in need, visit ob.org/surgeries today!

Helping Struggling Ukrainian Refugees Find Their Way

UKRAINE – In wartime, life can turn upside down overnight. For Svitlana and her family, it did. And for many families like hers, the rebuilding will take years.

She recalls, “When the bombs hit our city, we spent the night in the basement. In the morning, our apartment was destroyed! It was completely gone.” It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to walk up the basement stairs after a sleepless night only to discover your home is missing—and memories are all that remain.

Before Russia invaded, Ukrainian citizens lived in peace. They were able to go to work without fearing for their lives or wondering if their children had a future. Svitlana gave people manicures; she helped women feel beautiful, providing for her children in the process—until that fateful day.

Her family had no choice but to flee the area and find safe haven. At last, they did, at a shelter in Lviv where you helped to meet them with love, support, and supplies for their daily needs. One of the primary struggles for families on the move is maintaining a sense of normalcy. Without routines, the smallest things can make people—especially children—feel insecure. That’s why Operation Blessing brought washers and dryers to the shelter to make simple, necessary tasks like washing clothes less of a burden.

Compassion For Struggling Ukrainian Refugees

Another way you showed your compassion was by bringing joy to the most vulnerable among struggling Ukrainian refugees: the little ones. One of the most normal—and wonderful—things in the world is having a birthday party, but children like Svitlana’s 8-year-old daughter skipped their birthdays when they fled for their lives. So Operation Blessing helped them celebrate right where they were—with food, festivities, and special gifts for each child.

You also made it possible to provide Svitlana with the tools she needed to earn a living while trying to start again. Now, with a complete manicure set in hand, she’s already taking steps to build a new future one client at a time.

Her words say it all: “I’m very grateful to Operation Blessing for getting me all the things I need to continue doing what I love. I’m very grateful to you.”

You Gave Food To Single Mother Kadzo In Kenya!

Help Drought Victims Now!

KENYA – Right now, a deadly drought is taking its toll in Kenya. So many families are facing starvation because their crops and livestock are dying from lack of water.

FEED A KENYAN FAMILY OF FIVE FOR ONE MONTH FOR $45.

Kadzo, a single mother in Kenya with five children, was struggling even before the drought. “Since my husband passed away, life has become very difficult for me because I have to take care of the children’s needs, their food, clothes, and school fees all on my own,” she said.

She relied on her goats and crops to earn income and feed her family. But now, even those have passed away. “Finding food for my children has become very hard,” Kadzo told us. “Because of this drought situation, there are days we have slept hungry even for two days straight because we didn’t have any food.” And with the drought in Kenya only expected to get worse, Kadzo’s situation seemed hopeless.

Support For A Single Mother In Kenya

But that’s where Operation Blessing’s faithful partners like you stepped in. Your support provided a shipment of food deliveries to Kadzo’s village in Kenya. Every household received enough flour, cooking oil, and other essential food supplies to last an entire month!

I Want to Help!

However, there are still countless families who need help. Will you partner with Operation Blessing to bring food to the hungry in Kenya? For just $45, you can feed a family of five for an entire month. Visit ob.org/drought to bless hungry families in Kenya today!