Rome (Italy). For the past ten months, the population of Ukraine has been living, or rather, coexisting with the war conflict that began in February 2022. The winter, with the inconveniences caused by the cold, the lack of electricity and heating, the difficulty in finding primary necessities, is the biggest challenge of the moment.

The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of the Communities present in Ukraine continue to carry out activities with the children and, in turn, to bring the families aid they receive through solidarity initiatives and humanitarian organizations, from the generosity of people all over the world.

However, aid management requires skills and coordination of flows, as emerged from the training meeting held in Vienna, Austria, from 8 to 10 November 2022, organized by Jugend Eine Welt, an Austrian non-profit humanitarian organization that works to improve the living conditions of children and young people and their families in the world, especially in favor of the works of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Salesians of Don Bosco.

From the start of the war, Jugend Eine Welt – that celebrated the 25th year of foundation this year, mobilized to offer help to its partners directly involved by supporting projects, but above all by sending loads of basic necessities and for the care of people.

The meeting was led by Wolfgang Wedan, experienced emergency aid coordinator, and colleagues Irmgard Neuherz and Konrad Fenrzloff, involved in aid management for Ukraine. Reinhard Heiserer, Managing Director of JEW, and Hannes Velik, with their great experience, accompanied and supported the works.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the frontline Countries for aid to the population in Ukraine itself and to refugees in Moldova and Slovakia. Also present were some Daughters of Mary Help of Christians: Sr. Malgorzata Elzbieta Pietruszczak, Superior of Mother of God Preprovince (EEG); Sr. Nataliya Vakulishyna of Bl. Maddalena Morano Community of Kyiv; Sr. Cristina Camia, collaborator of the FMA Institute’s Administration Sector; and Dr. Anna Bantovska, doctor at the Odessa hospital, who collaborates with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in coordinating aid.

The meeting was an opportunity for a discussion on the situation, on the projects in progress, on the most urgent needs and prospects, as underlined by Sr. Cristina Camia, involved in the coordination of the FMA Institute’s worldwide development projects. “In recent years, global emergencies have increased, mainly due to the Coronavirus pandemic, food emergencies, and now the conflict in Ukraine. We already know that, due to climate change, future crises and emergencies will only increase. Humanitarian aid requires different structures and organization than development cooperation, and it is our commitment to try to give immediate and adequate responses.”

The contribution in terms of formation and networking was also very significant and useful, to improve and strengthen joint work, as stated by the Provincial, Sr. Malgorzata:

“This training and networking meeting was very important for me and my work! When it comes to our efforts to help people, it’s not just about distributing aid to people; it’s about helping them intelligently and thoughtfully.” Furnishing people with what they need in the coming months will probably be the biggest challenge, as she herself points out, “It is difficult to prepare for something uncertain. In Ukraine, we already have to deal with daily difficulties, with all the necessary energy saving and power outages. The days are getting colder, so more heating is essential. If blackouts occur more frequently, it will not be possible to ensure this. Food supplies and connections from outside will also decrease.”

In December, a new and important project “SECURE – Setting up Action for Ukraine Emergency”, promoted by Jugend Eine Welt, started in Odessa. Thanks to this collaboration, for the next two years, it will be possible to help a good number of families to meet their daily needs with parcels of basic necessities and vouchers to pay for electricity, gas, and wood.

The Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians counts on the generosity of the Educating Communities, Associations, and benefactors to continue to bring aid to the FMA of Ukraine and the neighboring Provinces that welcome refugees. It is possible to send contributions and offerings, via Donate Now or through the methods indicated on the Website of the FMA Institute, designating the Ukrainian Emergency as the motive for the donation.

Nel mese di dicembre ha preso il via ad Odessa un nuovo e importante progetto “SECURE – Setting up Action for Ukraine Emergency”, promosso da Jugend Eine Welt. Grazie a questa collaborazione, per i prossimi due anni, si potrà aiutare un buon numero di famiglie a far fronte alle necessità quotidiane con pacchi di generi di prima necessità e voucher per pagare luce, gas e legna.

L’Istituto delle Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice conta sulla generosità delle Comunità Educanti, delle Associazioni e dei benefattori per continuare a portare aiuti alle FMA dell’Ucraina e delle Ispettorie confinanti che accolgono i rifugiati. È possibile inviare contributi e offerte, tramite Dona ora o attraverso le modalità indicate sul Sito web dell’Istituto FMA, designando nella causale Emergenza Ucraina.