Helping displaced people prepare for winter in Ukraine

Just in time for Christmas, BMS World Mission is supporting a project to ensure urgent winterisation needs are met for people who have been impacted by the conflict in Ukraine

Staying warm during the winter – we might not realise it, but having heat is something that many of us take for granted in our day-to-day lives. In parts of eastern Ukraine, it’s a different story. Many men, women and children are desperate to stay warm this winter, where the average temperature falls below freezing for months.

Over 1.5 million people have been displaced in the country due to the ongoing conflict. It’s resulted in damaged infrastructure, a general sense of insecurity, restricted travels, reduced medical access and increased food insecurity. This harsh reality combined with the fact that winter is coming means that many of these people are preparing to face another difficult season with depleted financial resources.



BMS World Mission is determined to do something to support people in eastern Ukraine this holiday season. To help, BMS is giving £15,500 to support a winterisation project run by local Baptist churches that will provide over 1,500 people with essential items like heaters and children’s thermal clothing. The plan is that the people most in need will receive these items just in time for Christmas.



Philip Halliday, BMS Regional Team Leader for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, knows how crucial this project is for the people who are suffering.

'Two and a half years on, the fighting in eastern Ukraine rarely makes the headlines, but the so-called ceasefire is not being respected and the potential for renewed full-scale hostilities remains,' he says. 'As usual, it is the ordinary people who are suffering the most. In this context, and as winter approaches, it is great that BMS is able to strengthen the hand of the Ukrainian Baptist churches as they provide for the needs of the most vulnerable and, in addition, seek to be a force for peace and unity.'

Thank you for your support in helping people stay warm and keep their spirits bright amidst dark and difficult circumstances this Christmas. We couldn’t do it without your help.



Do you want to help people in time of great need, like these people in eastern Ukraine? You can if you give to the BMS disaster recovery fund today.

Photo credit: first photo and fourth photo by Steve Evans, cc Creative Commons. Second photo by European Commission DG ECHO, cc Creative Commons.

This article first appeared on the website of BMS World Mission and is used with permission.