In April, we travelled from Lviv to deliver medical first aid kits, medical aid, clothes, hygiene kits, food, and toys to Nikopol and Zaporizhzhia. We left Lviv early in the morning and drove to Dnipro to sleep there on the first day of our trip.
The next day, we woke up early to drive to Nikopol to deliver humanitarian aid to our local partner Pastor Roman. Roman runs a humanitarian aid hub for people in need. He sorts out the aid and repacks it into family-sized portions. Roman is from Nikopol and knows the area and the small villages very well.
Nikopol is a small city with around 125,000 people, located on the Dnipro River. Unlike Kherson, which was flooded when the Russian forces blew up the dam, Nikopol lost all its water during a very hot summer, making it difficult to have enough water for people and animals to drink and cook with. It’s a dangerous place because the Russian Forces are just on the other side of the river. When we go to Nikopol, we aim to be as quick as possible to limit the risk, as the city is shelled daily.
After our delivery to Nikopol, we drove to Zaporizhzhia to deliver medical first aid kits to the local police department. These kits are critical for everyone, including the police, who do a dangerous job patrolling and assisting civilians. The kits are both for their use and for the civilians.
There are two roads to Zaporizhzhia: one is faster but severely damaged by shelling; the other is longer but in better condition. We chose the longer route, and just before we arrived in Zaporizhzhia, we saw on the news that the other road had been hit multiple times by artillery. These are the conditions we work in when driving to front-line areas. You never know what will happen, so you must always prepare for any situation. It’s hard to be in these areas and you cannot rest because you have to stay aware.
Rostislav Bakhur
Warehouse Coordinator & Field Officer
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