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Photos © United for Animals
Avdiivka, a Ukrainian city currently engulfed in ongoing battles, received Greater Good Charities Winter Relief Packs thanks to the heroism of local volunteers and field workers.
One of those brave volunteers relayed this story to us, giving hope to those experiencing the darkest winter of their lives.
Photo © United for Animals
The women in the photo in Avdiivka are my mother, Evdokia, and her sister, Zina. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see them again. I’ve been waiting to hear from them since February of this year, and it wasn’t until I saw the photo that I knew my mother was still alive.
Every time I ask my mother to leave, she refuses. She doesn’t want to talk about leaving and gets nervous when my sister and I try to persuade her. She’s intimidated by rumors that her passport and documents will be taken away and she will live in a camp.
A year ago, my father died there. I thought my mother would leave after that. But no. A few months ago, a bomb flew into her building. Her apartment burned down, but even that didn’t motivate her to leave.
If you are there again, please tell her that her son, Yuriy, and her daughter, Olya, miss her and beg her to leave. I have an apartment near Kyiv waiting for them. It’s a small, cozy town where everything is nearby. My wife can come and help them settle down, or we can help and pay for their departure abroad to Moldova or anywhere. Her three-year-old granddaughter, Maya, wants to have her grandmother, who is the only one she has left.
Through these events on the ground, people amid war can see each other, communicate, and find hope through communities near and abroad.
Thank you to the many donors supporting Greater Good Charities’ life-saving work in Ukraine. Please consider becoming a protector with a monthly donation so we can provide aid where it is needed most.