“I call all those who come to us, angels,” exclaims Olena, one of many Novohryhorivka residents whose home and way of life has been completely destroyed. “It is only thanks to the help of such volunteers that we can survive.”
Father Józef Nuckowski, a Salesian missionary in Bibrka, is one of those angels. Although Bibrka is about 13 hours away by car, Fr. Józef has led relief convoys to Novohryhorivka, delivering life-saving supplies and much-needed comfort to people like Olena.
“We suffer a lot, but we stay in our homes,” she says. “Sometimes our houses are ruined … but they are ours.”
This sense of place and pride in her home explains why Olena and several of her neighbors have not joined the nearly 8 million Ukrainians who have fled to neighboring countries in search of safety. Their lives are here, where they rightly feel as if they still belong.
“We have experienced the full harshness of the war since its beginning,” says another of the 55 people still living in the village. “We just hope that all this will end well, that we can rebuild our village and live in peace.”
Thanks to the generosity of many donors, who have already supported our dedicated Ukraine Emergency Fund, missionaries like Fr. Jósef are making a real difference every day—not only bringing food, clean water, warm clothes, and candles that provide temporary lighting—but also demonstrating solidarity, which bolsters residents’ resolve and resilience. And it’s not just in Novohryhorivka. Since the beginning of the war more than a year ago, the Salesians have been supporting those who remained.
“We want to bring aid as close as possible to the border [with Russia], where most of the villages have been destroyed, houses have been burned, and people are living assembled in shelters. They need help,” Fr. Józef says. “It is thanks to our many compassionate donors that we can obtain and distribute this aid.”
Also thanks to this support, some Salesian schools in Ukraine have managed to stay open, providing education in emergency situations with wraparound psychological support for students, teachers and families.
In total, 66 Salesian organizations from five continents—including Salesian Missions—have supported more than 100 projects throughout Ukraine, with more in the works. So far, these projects have included constructing emergency shelters, supporting internally displaced people, and providing educational programs and activities for children and youth. Special emergency aid helped residents cope with the changing seasons and delivered essential medicine, vehicles, field kitchens, food, clothes, tents, blankets and more.
Piotr, an aid worker in Ukraine, says of Novohryhorivka and other affected areas, that “there was poverty before the war. Now, what little the people had has been taken away from them. It is worthwhile to help these people. I encourage it.”
Our missionaries couldn’t agree more.
“We’ve survived this long thanks to Divine Providence,” Olena concludes. “And that’s why our faith has come alive again.”
To see, first-hand, the impact of your kindness in Ukraine, watch on Salesian Missions YouTube channel.
