COUNTRIES
Helping God to fulfill a promise
In February 2022, the eyes of the world were focused on Ukraine as violence in the region escalated, resulting in the loss of human life, the displacement of families, and the destruction of infrastructure. Two years later, while media interest may have faded, the conflict continues. But thanks to the generosity of World Renew supporters like you, who were quick to respond with prayers and gifts to our Ukraine conflict response, families are moving forward with hope—hope for peace, hope that their dreams for the future have not been completely shattered by the violence, and hope in God's love and mercy. We at World Renew believe in God's promise to restore creation, and we understand that his faithful are called to be part of the restoration work. You, in your support of World Renew, join us in answering this call by extending God's love to families impacted by hunger, poverty, and injustice.
“There are plenty of kind Christians... lovely people whose souls are full of compassion.”
Our peers working in Ukraine and surrounding countries have witnessed, time and time again, the way God works through people like you. One member of our network, working to support Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, shared, “There are plenty of kind Christians ... lovely people whose souls are full of compassion. Slovakian locals help us a lot. People of Christian organizations gave us space to live. Moreover, they provide food, goods, transportation etc. ... Christians in Slovakia supported and helped us in different situations. Being among Christians, you have good presuppositions to feel a warm atmosphere of God's love.” The following report outlines just a few ways compassion like yours has touched the lives of families impacted by the conflict in Ukraine.
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A network extending Christ's love and hope
While World Renew does not have on-ground partners in Ukraine, thanks to the generosity and compassion of our supporters, we were able to support the response efforts of network peers who have working operations or partners in the region who were in a position to quickly respond to the needs of the most vulnerable people impacted by the conflict.
Through these peer organizations, World Renew supported several projects that allowed us to help extend Christ's love and hope through cash transfers, medical supplies, food distributions, shelter, trauma healing, and more.
World Renew cannot express enough how grateful we are for the kind-hearted donors across North America who, upon hearing of the struggles of the people of Ukraine, opened their hearts to pray and to give generously to support World Renew's response to this crisis. Thank you!
Cash transfers deliver a sense of normalcy and hope
• World Renew helped one of our peer organizations provide cash transfers to 6,681 conflictimpacted people to cover their immediate food needs.
• Cash allowed for the purchase of food from established markets in Ukraine, helping to decrease the physical security risks and ensuring limited disruptions to local markets
• Assessments were made to ensure access was possible to local vendors where families could purchase food with dignity and a sense of normalcy in being able to shop for food items that best suit their needs.
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Humanitarian Aid Distribution central and southeastern Ukraine.
Photo credit: Natasha Kravchuk
The story of Antonina
Kolesnik Antonina Pylypivna lives in Myroliubivka village. She says she will always remember the first few months of the escalated violence in Ukraine as a time of fear, pain, and heartache. During an attack on her community, a rocket hit her family's house and killed her mother-in-law. While nothing can make up for the loss of a loved one, the support her family received through World Renew's network peer helped to lift their spirits and renew their hope for the future. Antonina says that, thanks to the support they received, her family felt that they were not alone in their troubles.
Extending Christ's love through food and housing
• There are an estimated 3.7 million internally displaced people in Ukraine and 6.3 million refugees from Ukraine globally.
• World Renew provided over $500,000 USD in funding to support the work of one of our peers' response to the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis.
• The primary focus of this response has been on providing food and non-food items through regular container deliveries to affected communities.
• The secondary focus has been to provide accommodations and other forms of refugee settlement support to Ukrainian refugees.
The support included cash, which they used to install new windows and doors and to restore the roof of their house. They also installed stove heating, so now they have a heated room for the winter. Antonina's family was one of 107 households (249 individuals) in the Kherson Oblast who were supported through a World Renew-funded project focused on enabling people to return to their homes and keep warm during the winter. 60 families in Liubymivka village, 37 in Myroliubivka village, and 10 in Trydoliubivka village benefited from this project. Additionally, 999 people received multi-purpose cash assistance in Novovorontsovka and Borozenske.
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Holding on to hope
Lyubov is one of the more than 3.7 million people internally displaced within Ukraine. Forced to leave her home to escape the violence, she now lives in the city of Novoukrainka. She shared, “I woke up at 4 a.m. and I understood that the war had started ” As she tells her story, she struggles to hold back the tears.
“At first, I tried to live in my home village for some time. We believed that everything would end quickly. But after weeks of bombing, it was not over, so I left. And in June, a missile flew into my house.”
Through God's grace, Lyubov was already with her friends in Novoukrainka when her house was bombed. But she lost her home and still cries every time she talks about it. “My whole life is my house. I invested my whole life in the house I lost,” she cries.
Lyubov says she did not know what to do after her house was destroyed. She felt hopeless. But thanks to humanitarian aid they receive through
World Renew's network peer, including food, hygiene packages, and psychological support, people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, like Lyubov, have
More ways God is working through World Renew and our supporters
• World Renew committed $70,000 USD to two peers working to deliver medical supplies to conflict-affected regions in Ukraine
• World Renew committed $150,000 USDto a project focused on alleviating the hardships of people in Chernihiv, Ternopil, and Kyiv who lost livelihoods, are suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome, and require assistance rebuilding their small businesses.
• World Renew committed $300,000 USD to an ongoing project focused on addressing the employment, housing, and psychosocial needs of people in Zakarpattia Oblast.
renewed hope. As Lyubov tells her story, she is occasionally interrupted by the laughter of a 4-year-old boy. The boy's mother, Oksana, says, “We are staying here and trying to hold on.” Lyubov smiles and nods her head in agreement.
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"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility"
–Ephesians 2:14
Creator God,
We thank you for each and every person who has prayed with and supported World Renew in our mission to extend your love and hope to those who struggle with hunger, poverty, and injustice.
We pray for your peace to reign across the world. Bless leaders with the courage to put justice and mercy above hate, revenge, and resentment. Give us hearts filled with kindness and compassion. Grant us the wisdom to see the path that leads to a world overflowing with the love and joy that you intended--the path that leads to a world where creation is restored.
Lord, we pray for your provision for those who are
The impact of generosity like yours
• Across the United States, 1,780people gave 2,134gifts totaling over $2,750,000USD.
• Across Canada, 1,220 people gave 1,540 gifts totaling over $2,400,000CAD.
• Thanks to this incredible generosity, World Renew has been able to support the work of 6peer organizationson 11 projects across Ukraine and in surrounding countries where Ukrainian families have sought refuge.
• To date, an estimated 613,753people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine have benefited from projects to which World Renew contributed funds.
Thank you for sharing Christ's hope and love with the people of Ukraine!
hungry, safety and shelter for those who are displaced by conflict, violence and disaster, and your healing for those who are in pain. Please continue to guide World Renew, our supporters, and our partners to share your hope and love.
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Photo credit: Maia Mikhaluk