Donation outcomes
2022-2023
2022-2023
December 2023
November 2023
Through Iryna, we sent money for winter tires for soldiers and for a drone.
We sent money to Lena for hospital needs
We sent money to Slava to give English lessons to the boy from Mariupol.
We sent money to some members of Ukrainian sangha.
We sent money to Antonina to buy remedies for cats and a mixer for their diet food.
October 2023
In October your donations supported all of these activities . . .
Help for single mothers and widows.
Treatment for a musician who lost his hand.
Funds to a sangha member's grandmother who broke a hip, for her surgery.
Funds for a sangha member to help obtain dentist care.
Lena Samoilenko's next trip to Kherson
Antonina Diana, who takes care of 23 abandoned cats in her house.
. . . and more -- see photos below for these additional actions that we sent money to support:
A power station for soldiers.
A Thermovision camera.
A sangha soldier to buy a night vision monocular.
Sent money for a Thermovision camera
Sent money to a sangha soldier to buy a night vision monocular, AGM PVS14-51 3AW1.
September 2023 A lot of activities happened in September, from front-line support, to widows & families of soldiers, to abandoned animals like "Little" Kitty.
Through Iryna Vorobieva:
*We sent money to insulate the house of the mothers of the fallen heroes. (photos below)
*We helped to purchase a charger for Starlink internet.
*We sent money to buy walkie-talkies and tourniquets for the wounded soldiers. (photos below)
The message of appreciation: "A big thank you to Sangha for Ukraine from the scouts of the 15th Brigade of the Karadag unit fighting in the Melitopol and Zaporizhzhia areas for their assistance in purchasing tourniquets and radios."
* We sent another set of tourniquets to the military hospital. (photo below)
"Dear friends, thanks to your help we were able to purchase exactly what we needed, hemostatic tourniquets. This is exactly what saves lives of our defenders and civilians who came under rocket fire. Thank you very much for your help!"
* We sent money to purchase an antenna for encryption of communication and filtering out external interference. (photo below)
*We sent money to the mother of a very sick child with cerebral palsy who needs to go through a lot of surgeries. (photo below)
To support Iryna's work with volunteers: PayPal: svirely9@gmail.com
Tourniquets for the wounded soldiers.
15th Brigade of the Karadag unit
Hemostatic tourniquets sent to the military hospital. (left)
Antenna for encryption of communication and filtering out external interference. (right)
Mother and her child with cerebral palsy who needs to go through a lot of surgeries
To support Iryna's work with volunteers: PayPal: svirely9@gmail.com
Through Yana Walder
We sent money for the clothes for soldiers. (photos below)
We paid for the Ecoflow power station. (photo below)
We also regularly support single mothers with children.
To support Yana's work: PayPal: yana@lakepointvt.com
To support Yana's work: PayPal: yana@lakepointvt.com
We are supporting the blind kitty Little who was transported to Antonina Drana who takes care of her. Kitty is still very weak and we are following regular updates with good wishes.
If you wish to support Antonina's cats and dogs, use PayPal: brendukraine@ukr.net
August 2023
We sent money to a student in Kiev of a displaced family, whose mother is looking for a job in the USA.
We sent money, via Yana Walder, to support many displaced families with women and children. For security reasons we are not showing photos.
We sent money to two families in Lviv Ukraine after the shelling. These two families lost everything.
And one daughter lost her mother, Lidia Dudka.
We continue to support our Ukrainian sangha. To donate directly to Ukrainian sangha members, please go to:
https://sites.google.com/view/ukraine-tonglen/how-to-donate?authuser=0#h.yckqoov8x5ak
We sent money to Lena Samolenko. Below is her report. (click here to view report)
Throughout July, we have been working almost daily with both the wards in Kherson and those who were taken away. With some of them I treat bedsores and trophic ulcers. With someone, I check the diary of pressure measurements after a stroke. We have bought most of the medicines for the amount of 312 067 UAH (8500.00 USD)
We are delivering medicines, crutches, wheelchairs, colostomy bags, diapers to more than 2000 people. In addition to Kherson, we are closing applications from 5 villages. Of our evacuees:
- Vadym Solianyk is receiving all the necessary treatment and is recovering.
- Oleksandr and Valentyna Zhyvago seem to be happy in their new place. Oleksandr's condition is as stable as possible.
- Olga Samotoy (she is taking care of her parents aged 95 and 94 in Kherson). Her mother has terminal breast cancer. This month Olga found a similar tumor in her breast. We took her to Kyiv to be examined. We are waiting for recommendations from the doctor.
- Vira and Leonid, whose apartment was hit by a Russian missile last month, live in Truskavets and are being cared for by the family of Tania Atab
We sent money to Iryna to buy walkie-talkies and tourniquets for the wounded soldiers.
We sent money to Yana Walder to buy helmets, mounts and headphones
July 2023
In addition to the stories, there are 2 links to videos on Instagram.
This time we stayed in Kherson for over 2 weeks. On the day of the dam explosion, part of my team left immediately, while I stayed on the phone, calling our patients' database. We have over 2000 patients now. On the first day, I managed to call 250 of those who could be in the greatest danger.
On June 8th, we evacuated the immobile patients, those who couldn't walk.
The strangest feeling was passing under the trolleybus lines, above almost flooded billboards.
In three days, we managed to get in touch with all the people under our care, found out who needed assistance, and brought them the necessary help. Most of them had moved in with relatives and friends in Kherson. Almost no one wanted to leave the city or be evacuated further.
Some people asked for help with a blood pressure monitor, a glucometer, or other home medical equipment they couldn't take when they left the flooded area. Others requested clothing or basic household necessities like laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, and toilet paper.
video: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuWmt06gb2d/
Vitya, my friend and partner in crime, managed to carry Alexander out from the flooded apartment. I've told you about him before – the man with extensive bedsores. Alexander had his leg amputated due to gangrene.
We visited him in the surgical ward and found out that many of the evacuees were brought to the surgical wing, and they had nowhere else to go. We tried to support them by bringing food, adult diapers, diapers, and essential dressing and medical supplies for their care.
We delivered medications to over 100 residents of the village of Myroliubivka.
We made addressed deliveries of medications, walkers, crutches, and pet food to the residents of the village of Antonivka.
In every village and in Kherson itself, we support people who take care of animals. Most often, these are small home-based shelters. Those who genuinely care for animals take in neighbor's pets that have been abandoned and feed the stray dogs and cats. For small animals, we sometimes bring sedatives (similar to those for humans) because they struggle to cope with the shelling, and their hearts cannot handle the stress.
Russians continue to shell Kherson every day. A few days after the dam explosion, a shell hit a residential building, destroying the apartment of Vera and Leonid, whom I had evacuated back in November.
Vera and Leonid are doing fine; they are living in Truskavets with a family that temporarily took them in. Leonid has Parkinson's, and Vera has breast cancer. I support them financially. However, now they have nowhere to return to.
In the village of Sontiachne, we met a wonderful family. Alyona has three children. The eldest child has intellectual disabilities, while the middle child, Valentina, has been suffering from epilepsy and cerebral palsy since childhood. The youngest child is typically developing.
When we arrived, it turned out that due to severe dental pain, Valentina couldn't eat, and the pain (unbearable) was triggering new epileptic seizures for her, new and recurrent seizures, causing her to cry out in agony.
It took approximately a week to arrange everything: getting in touch with the dental clinic, coordinating with an anesthesiologist, calculating the sedation dosage considering Valentina's anti-epileptic medications, and finding an ambulance that could transport Valentina in a lying position since she cannot sit. But we managed to do it, and her dental issues were taken care of. Now, I'm searching for housing and a safe way to relocate them from the village, which is also under shelling.
After the amputation, we brought Alexander to Kyiv. We conducted a medical check-up and stabilized his condition. We found an apartment for him and his wife. Now, we are planning to buy a medical bed so that he can move around more easily.
We also took Vadim Solyanik with us. Vadim received a shrapnel skull injury during the evacuation. His apartment on the first floor was flooded.
Then Vadym went through a difficult surgery, performed by Kherson surgeons. Vitya had to drive 1,800 km in one day to pick up the car and take Vadym to Kyiv. We were stopped by the police once. A projectile fragment that hit the windshield tried to stop Vitya again . But we reached Kyiv just fine. In Kyiv, we stabilized Vadym and had him consulted by a neurologist, cardiologist and neurosurgeon.
Vadim can no longer live alone and take care of himself, so he asked to be placed in a nursing home. We found one in Irpin. Now Vadim lives among the pines and is taken care of. He gets all the proper treatment.
In January, we visited Vasyl and Valya. Valya was unwell and had difficulty moving, so we communicated in the bathroom, where she felt safer.
Later, their daughter took Valya with her. Vasyl, who is 80 years old, stayed behind with the garden. He asked us to bring batteries and mineral water. In January, we picked kiwis from the trees. We used to visit Vasyl every time we were in Kherson. In April Vasyl allowed us to cut narcissus flowers and showed us the pomegranate tree and loud beehives.
When the Russians blew up the dam, we couldn't find Vasyl for several days. His neighbor, Rosa, said he was taken to Mykolaiv.
Later, we found out that Vasyl was in Kherson. We brought him a blood pressure monitor, medications for his blood pressure, and a sedative. He cried because the bees had died, and he couldn't find his cat.
The trees and flowers were destroyed. He said he didn't want to go anywhere: not to his wife, not to his daughter. He only wanted to be home. After a few days, Vasyl returned home. He walked 12 kilometers through the flooded streets. He found his cat but couldn't carry it out, so the State Emergency Service (DSNS) had to rescue him.
Vasyl asked us to go get his cat. So we went. In places where the fences were knocked down, it was easier to walk. Everything around was gray. The tops of trees that didn't know they had died were still visible.
We found his cat alive. But Russian shell hit the yard, and the house is no longer there. The mandarin tree is gone. Vasyl says he will continue to go there. We left money for Vasyl and food for Tuzik. We can't rebuild the house and the garden. He doesn't want anything else.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuua7n9Mejh/ - video about Vasyl
We sent masks and hospital equipment through Iryna V.
'Volunteers of the NGO "Networking the Victory" and Ukrainian Warriors sincerely thank the international Buddhist community "Sangha for Ukraine" for their constant support!'
We sent money for homeless cats to Antonina Drana.
"Together with our rescued war animals, I sincerely thank the international Buddhist community Sangha for Ukraine for their repeated financial support. Thanks to you, dear friends, we were able to buy the necessary food for the first time and pay for the treatment/sterilization of abandoned animals, for which we are looking for families later on.
I bow to each of you for your sincere contributions to change the lives of the disadvantaged, those who cannot take care of themselves."
We sent money to a military doctor to help him repair his ambulance car.
"Do you know what "wow" means? It's when the Polish/USA branch of the Buddhist International Community writes to me: "We are following you, we are close to your ideals, can we help you financially?"
One day, out of mutual kindness, I received financial support from Sangha For Ukraine. Deep bow!"
We sent money to Lena for Kherson. Here is her report on her most recent trip to Kherson.
Do read it to the end, to hear the thoughts of a fearless warrior! (click here to display the report)
samolena.help@gmail.com
I went to Kherson for the first time in November, with boxes of medicines, in a randomly found minibus with unknown drivers.
Eugene Shimalsky checked in from time to time whether everything was okay with me on the road.
During a general air raid alarm, I texted “I fastened the safety belts. Look, we’re driving across the river - they won't start shooting at the river, will they?"
When they started shooting at the river and blew up the dam, I was preparing to go to Kherson for the sixth time.
In June, Vitya Glushchenko, Katya Libkind, Nazar Furyk and I multiplied our usual workload with flood management but managed to get everything done.
This time we:
— Created separate lists of people we take care of and who could have suffered from the flood. We found everyone, visited and helped. We keep in touch.
— Evacuated those who wanted to leave the flooded Ostrov district.
— Delivered medicines to about 1000 people according to their requests.
— Collected and handed over basic drugs, bandages, surgical plasters, dressing materials and adult diapers to the communities of Kozatske, Mykilske, Antonivka, Myrolyubivka. For Kozatskе and Mykilske, where there is still no electricity, we provided power banks, flashlights, batteries, and gas burner cylinders.
— Visited people with limited mobility in Zymivnik, Soniachnе, Stepanivka, Komyshany.
— Supported surgical departments of the hospitals - provided diapers, calming drugs for all evacuated people placed in the hospital.
— Barefoot, we crossed the flooded streets to the very river front to rescue the cat Tuzik for our friend Vasyl, who lost everything in the flood.
— Stabilized Vadim Solianik, one of our oldest proteges, after a shrapnel injury and transported him to Kyiv. He asked to be placed in a nursing home. We chose a place that he liked. We now visit him weekly.
— As promised, we transported Oleksandr and Valentyna Zhivago. Oleksandr survived evacuation from the flooded apartment and a limb amputation, underwent examination. Thanks to Olga Gaidash and Irina Gaidash they now have a shelter in Kyiv. We are arranging everything necessary and looking for a rehabilitation therapist.
— We continue to remotely arrange dental treatment for Valentyna. Valentyna has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, she used to scream from pain. But at least this pain we can remove.
We've grown tired and more mature during this time.
We've established connections with the State Emergency Service, quick response services and volunteer initiatives. Now we can find ambulances for long-distance evacuations quickly.
I've formed a team of friendly pharmacists in Kherson who help us process new applications promptly.
We are driving even faster and constantly eat cherries.
I saw roses taller than me and stars worth showing.
Katya Libkind sang along with the siren. Nazar Furyk discreetly took important shots between packing and sorting medicines.
Vitya Glushchenko waltzed on roundabouts while other car drivers looked at us in surprise.
I bought a feathered icon of St. Nicholas and he occasionally looks at me disapprovingly.
We spoke with Eugene Shimalsky late at night in the middle of a completely dark city with the sounds of nearby mortar shelling and didn't get distracted by them.
Here safety belts and body armors do not work, the water is hostile, they shoot the river, sometimes we witness more pain than can be told out loud.
But I am still not scared. Rather, I am beginning to understand more of what can be done. And I still believe that we are doing everything right.
We sent money to Yana Walder to help women with children. yana@lakepointvt.com
Below are pictures of some of the women and children Yana is helping.
For more about the people Yana is helping, click here to view their situations and needs.
Name # children / situation Needs Amount needed
Zhukova Tetiana 1 child Rent, groceries, meds $200
Gatilova Natalia 1 child Funeral in the family, food $100
Tatsiuk Natalia 1 child Food, basics any/unspecified
Temchiy Kateryna 3 kids Food, basics $150
Stoyko Tetyana Elementary school teacher. Flooded house. $150
Shishorina Svetlana 3 kids, including a disabled child Food basics any/unspecified
Yevsieieva Vlada 1 Newborn Diapers, infant needs, groceries $100
Zgurska Yulia 1, toddler Basics and food any/unspecified
Budkina Iryna 2 kids under 3 years old Groceries $100
Shyshorina Kateryna 2 kids Groceries any/unspecified
Reutova Tatyana Infant and pregnant Food and electricity bill any/unspecified
Yefimova Tetyana 2 kids Groceries in desperate need $150
Boroday Natalia 1 child Food and meds any/unspecified
Poddubna Iryna 2 kids, one with epilepsy Meds and food $100
Ivan Medvid volunteer Helps transfer cash grants, Needs medications for new $150
Delivers supplies to soldiers, stabilization point for soldiers
drives for med evacuations in Zmiiv, Kharkiv region
Ukrainian bank transfer fees $30
June 2023
Greetings from Ukraine!!!
Dear FRIENDS!!!
We thank you for being with us in such a difficult time. Your help is very significant and much needed.
For the money sent to us, we bought certified hemostatic tourniquets that save the lives of Ukraine's sons and daughters.
Some of these items are already at the forefront.
Thank you , thank you to the sky!
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG
WE HAVE BOUGHT THEM!!! These hats with mosquito nets will go to the front line to our defenders.
We are sincerely grateful to the International Buddhist Community Sangha for Ukraine and Iryna Vorobiova for the payment.
TOGETHER TO VICTORY !!
The recording of the session presenting Lena's work in Kherson, on June 17, 2023.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zKaDZlM_lIsO_65mkeoFE2G1fwVyssGT/view
We have sent some money to them but of course, there is never enough.
Yana: asking for elderly women who need cash assistance. Yana will be invited to talk about Kherson soon.
Lena will be presenting on the 17th (she is in the Kherson area as we speak).
Below is Lena's story from her work in and around Kherson: (click to view the report)
Today, Oleksandr and Valentyna were evacuated. (see video at link below) They were left alone in their apartment building. Oleksandr cannot walk on his own, has a complicated spinal hernia and a number of bedsores, severe chronic pain. We were partly late, because gangrene had already started on one of his legs, but partly in time, because tomorrow he will be operated on.
Today, Vitya Glushchenko and the rescue team came under Russian fire in the evacuation zone. But they managed to get Oleksandr to the hospital. As soon as his condition stabilizes, we plan to take this family to Kyiv and seek neurological and surgical consultations for them.
https://www.facebook.com/samoilenko.olena/videos/838289917725881
In Kherson, the State Emergency Service teams, rescuers and volunteers are working in a coordinated manner. The process of rescue, search, persuasion and waiting is complicated. But really, dozens of professional people are organizing around the evacuation.
Most people, including our disabled and elderly clients, refuse to evacuate. All we can do in such cases is to inform the rescue services about them, talk to them on the phone.
We continue to work in Kherson according to the regular schedule of our trips. We deliver medicines, crutches, wheelchairs, and diapers for adults.
We are looking for everyone who, according to our database, could be in the flood zone. We have brought food for animals, water and the obvious necessities. I am also bringing power banks, flashlights, and hygiene kits. As always, we are identifying needs, making tables, sorting medicines. We will go to the villages (not only to the flooded ones).
Uzbek's car (which I once bought for volunteer trips) is pure cherry beauty, perfection and efficiency.
We also bought a boat.
We will stay in Kherson as long as necessary.
As for the needs of our wards:
- money for evacuation, medicines, fuel, diapers and everything we usually buy. The details are in the comments.
- The number of requests for medicines has increased. If you can buy and send the most frequently requested items by Nova Poshta to Kherson, I will provide a list.
- charged power banks and wires with different connectors to them
- hygiene kits. We are helping not only Kherson residents affected by the flooding. We also help our regular wards. These are usually people with limited mobility. Every third application we receive includes washing gels, toothpastes, detergents, and creams for diaper irritation.
- Medicines for people with mental illness. We have a separate list confirmed by prescriptions. It is still difficult to buy medicines in Kherson. Finding prescription drugs in out-of-service public pharmacies is more difficult. I will also send the list and report back.
We sent money for a masking net.
" We sincerely thank the international Buddhist community "Sangha for Ukraine" for their support!
Networking Victory and working for Victory"
We sent money to purchase medical equipment for wounded soldiers.
"The public organization Soldiers' Mothers of Korsun Region is sincerely grateful for your donations. These funds will be used to purchase medical equipment for wounded soldiers and blood-stopping tourniquets for medics at the front line. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP !"
May 2023
Thanks to a generous donation, we sent money to a few displaced families of women with children, some with newborns.
Update - photos and stories - from Lena from her recent trip to Kherson.
See below for the rest of Lena's presentation.
More from Lena's story below, click on the > to view the slides one by one.
'They showed me an MRLS shell that flew into their yard. They said, "It used to be a shell, later it will be just memory."'
We helped Yana with supporting this medical vehicle repair
Photo from Kherson, see Lena's story below
Lena's story of visit to Kherson (click here to display the story)
Two weeks ago, we went to the Kherson Epicenter to buy diapers for adults, because there was a shortage of them. In February, we went to buy plywood and film when the windows were blown out.
Recently, a memorial to the Kherson terrorist defense was unveiled in the lilac park opposite. On March 1, 2022, forty Kherson residents with assault rifles and Molotov cocktails went up against the Russians in armored vehicles. And all of them died.
I stood at the checkout with an uncomfortable cart and a security guard helped me with falling diapers. He said: "That's 50 hryvnias. No, I'm joking. Come on, you owe me a sandwich."
I was surprised, but said that next time I would definitely get a sandwich. I did.
I still have receipts from this Epicenter.
Dozens of people were waiting in front of ATB in February. One of them asked: "Buy me some dumplings. I'll stop standing here and go home to cook dumplings."
"Buy me some too!" - asked the man next to me. I bought dumplings, apples, oil, canned food and bread. The woman walked me to my car and told me that her passport had been stolen and that it would cost 500 UAH to restore it. She had that neuro-distinguishing glint in her eye that makes us recognize our own everywhere, in any language. I gave her 500 UAH, because that was the bill I had in my pocket.
She replied: "You are a goddess. Water does not age. The universe does not age. And you will never grow old."
I was leaving the Kherson train station when I did not have a nice car, but I had more hope. Back then, I hadn't washed my hair for a week, and I was carrying backpacks and a bag with the adjika and garlic I had received as a gift. The Kyiv train stood on the platforms for half an hour.
In February, when it was still early and the curfew started at 7, we were traveling through an empty city. With its wide roads. With crossing signs that popped up like Lynch's characters.
Today, the Russians killed 21 people in Kherson.
We will return to Kherson.
I have plans to rescue Oleksandr and Valentina. I want to see Kristina and Lera. We have to visit Clarinda. The paralyzed sailor's wife is waiting to start cooking chebureks for a garlanded garden party. That is, if she has no fitness. On Komkova 94, the curbs are freshly painted yellow.
Behind all the photos today, there are those who stay to feed the cats, soothe the babies, work in surgery, wait for the pharmacies to open, lie down because they can't get up anymore.
Donation sent via Anna for auto-refrigerators
Through Tarney Baldinger's contact we sent money to the tireless volunteers of the Warrior Assistance Center in Kaniv in central Ukraine. Unbelievable how much they accomplish to support the troops in many different ways. Here is what they wrote:
Let's bring our Victory closer TOGETHER! We work every day for our defenders.
Monday - Sending: camouflage netting, energy bars, dry soups/borscht, tactical gloves, turnstiles, first aid kits, 50 pairs of underpants, 50 pairs of socks.
Tuesday - In total, we issued and sent out the following items: 4 camouflage nets, 24 first aid kits, 38 turnstiles, 30 blood bags, 110 dry showers, 130 pairs of socks, 7 knee pads, 11 pairs of boots, honey, 55 trench candles, 30 dry soups/borscht, stew, lard, energy bars, nut and fruit sets, work gloves, periscopes, 10 covers, 10 underpants, transformers, seats.
We are moving on persistently and tirelessly until we win!
Shambhala Trust sponsored Yura Muxin's project Art therapy for children.
April 2023
The volunteers of the NGO "Networking the Victory" and the Defenders of Ukraine sincerely thank the international Buddhist community "Sangha for Ukraine" for their support!
Thank you Sangha for Ukraine!
We have already taken these cats from the hospital, their story is here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=9167158019991646&id=100000926188248
Most of you know what the cost of treatment/examinations is now ...the check in the photo is 11700 UAH/.$300
I want to thank everyone who had the ability to help and be close to our stories, as well as a big thank you for the transferred $ 100 to pay off the debt for these cats from Sangha for Ukraine
Thank you very much
After all, any support and participation is important for improving someone's life.
Now the most important thing remains: to find them a HOME
WHEN FRIENDS ARE THERE!!!
We are sincerely grateful to the International Buddhist Community Sangha for Ukraine and Iryna Vorobiova for their help in purchasing medical equipment for our wounded defenders who are being treated in hospitals and clinics in Ukraine.
Thanks to your help, we have purchased two more laparoscopic soft tissue suturing devices and an intestinal suturing device. These instruments are designed for 3-4 surgeries, so we need to purchase them on a regular basis.
Your help makes it possible to save the lives of our sons and daughters who are defending our country. Soldiers' mothers of the Korsun region are extremely grateful to you for your lack of indifference, your support and your extremely kind hearts.
We look forward to our further cooperation and assistance.
(see photos below)
We support Slava to teach English for children of displaced families
March 2023
A presentation from Lena on her latest trip to Kherson.
Please note warning before slides 16-17 regarding photos of medical issues.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BeJdkSHGJfbieUSeaC-8YL1xdzXjBsbHs0LGbu-SMDk/edit?usp=sharing
We helped displaced families with many children, and single mothers, in coordination with Yana Walder. Below is a letter from one of the families.
Letter from the grateful mother of four, Galina, who we helped through Yana Walder. (click here, on title, to display the letter)
Good Day.
I have been trying to find words of gratitude all day today. It seems to me that there are no decent words to express what I am feeling right now. So I will just tell you a little bit about myself.
I am an ordinary woman. I was born in a village in the Kherson region and grew up there. I went to school. I have a family and children of whom I am very proud. My favorite job is teaching, and at work I also see these children's eyes. I adore children because they are all pure and open.
On 24.02.2022, my life was divided into "before" and "after". It all started with the air raid on Chornobaivka, a neighboring village. For the rest of my life, I will remember a helicopter flying over my roof with rockets flying from it.
Then the occupation and attempts to survive. And these childish eyes... These eyes were no longer childish. They were the students in my class. Parents, like me, were trying to survive and get food. And the children just had to sit quietly and hide. Only in the middle of the night we whispered through the zoom. They told me their fears, and I told them that everything would be fine.
And then the connection was cut off. Searches began. Disappearances and torture.
At that moment, some people started telling me that there were volunteers who were taking women and children away. I started looking for them and found them.
They took 47 people in a beaten school bus with 26 children. This was at one time and on one bus. Maybe you've seen the disaster movie "The Crew"? When we were on the government-controlled territory, the same thing happened in the bus as in the movie when the plane landed.
Then the fear of whether my husband managed to leave without being detained.
And here we were, with a few documents, in Odessa. And then the unknown, the confusion.
At the moment when it seemed like everything was over, people appeared. People I didn't know at all. Someone sheltered me, someone fed me...
Time passes. We have been in Odessa for 11 months now. They have already vacated our house and we even went there once. We can't go back with the children yet, because there is a lot of artillery fire. Every day there are dead and wounded. We worked with a psychologist. The only thing I want now is healthy children who want to study, because they have to rebuild our country.
This is what I live with. There were moments when I was without light, heat and water in winter. When there was nothing to buy bread for. And you can't cry. You can only pray to God and be grateful that you are alive and together.
And in these moments our Guardian Angel Yana Walder appeared.
And now she has found all of you for us. And this again gives us faith that we are not alone, that they believe in us and we can do it.
As I write this, my middle son is practicing the piano, my younger daughter is playing the flute, and my older son is explaining a problem to my younger son.
Our older daughter asked if there were any potatoes. My husband shook his head. Then I gave him a card and told him with a smile to go buy some potatoes and also medicine for the kids, at the pharmacy.
I don't know how to convey his look to you all. All our gratitude is in that look.
We bought camouflage nets for soldiers, in coordination with Iryna Vorobiova.
Report from Anna
Many thanks to the Sangha for Ukraine community for their help in purchasing a battery for the defibrillator for the medical team! It was not easy to find and deliver the battery, but we brought it from the United States and now the defibrillator is back in service.
Thank you for your continued support and the lives you have saved!
People United Ukraine
We sent money to help 26 displaced families.
We sent money to Yura who continues humanitarian delivery for displaced families and Art Therapy classes
From the recent art therapy class, a short video clip and photos from Yura.
We sent money to Olya Kryvolap from Korsun, Ukraine, who manages the weaving of nets that is very important for security at the front.
Lena Samolenko's report (with pictures): Who do we help in Kherson? (click here to read the stories; see photos below)
Who do we help in Kherson?
Ms. Oksana from Oleshkivska Street. She hasn't been walking for a long time and has no teeth, so she can only eat mashed potatoes and baby formula. But she has kept her mind, humor and intelligence. When we arrived, she was watching something on her laptop and smiling with the understanding of a person who knows she is pitied but does not relay on that pity.
Pelagia Davydivna. She is 75 years old and has a disability after a skull fracture. She lives alone on the 4th floor, does not go out, but calls us from the window. She says it's a pity we didn't bring "some ointment for her legs, because her veins hurt a lot". In February, I will thoroughly find out what is wrong with her legs.
Natalia's. She lives in a huge house with a rose garden, perennials and three cats. In her bathroom, there are remnants of Chanel Chance in a bottle and cuticle oil.
Kherson has such a climate that there is no point in switching to Channel, for example, 19, which is more powdery and dense, even in winter.
A shell hit the house opposite. The house a little further away burned down. Natalia's husband used to be a sailor, but he has been in bed with severe Parkinson's for 10 years. And she takes care of him, takes care of all the cats that survived around her, the snowdrops, the fig trees. She paints her lips and goes to a fitness center that has just opened in a neighboring basement. There are arrivals in their neighborhood every day. Natalia asks me to bring diapers for her husband and cyclodextrin, because it is the only thing that relieves the terrible tremors. I promised her and I will keep my promise.
Ms. Alyona, who is HIV-positive, has the necessary therapy but needs supportive medications.
Anna Mykolayivna with a pustular inflammation of the legs. On my next trip, I plan to spend a lot of time with her because she has bad symptoms and wounds that have not healed for a long time. I will persuade her to see a doctor. I will talk to her children about evacuation.
Ms. Nadiya, who developed paresis on the right side of her body after a hip replacement. She lives alone, it is extremely difficult for her to walk. Therefore, we need to bring walkers and comfortable canes.
Pavlo, who is left alone on the Island. His wife was persuaded to leave by her daughter. He asks us to help him assemble a chimney for a stove. He treats us to kiwis that grow right in the yard.
Several families who live on the street near the water in the Naftogavan area. They are shelled every day. The light is disappearing. Some people are constantly hiding in the cellar, some have decided not to hide anymore. Each yard has its own access to the water, to the Dnipro lakes. They catch fish for the cats there. They calm the chickens. They take in neighbors whose houses were hit. Almost no one goes to these areas now. Dogs sleep in the middle of the roads in sunny spots. The trolleybus lines are torn up, and you have to maneuver to get under them.
Natalia Andriyivna. She emphasizes that "adult diapers of size 3 are needed, not underpants, because MOM is paralyzed!"
Oksana, who has 5 children. She writes in the application: "A large family, temporarily unemployed because of the war."
Clarinda Vasylivna, who is crying, asks me if the smell of urine in the house is strong, wants to give me a bottle of cognac, and her husband says that they are all drunk. She writes poetry, and I'll tell you about it later and post it separately. But there are also stories about her childhood: "My childhood in Bukovyna was spent among the Hutsuls, the fighters, and children of at least five different nationalities in our street band. And we were never beaten for our nation, but for revealing our intentions to break into the baron's garden, or for lying, or for cowardice (leaving others in danger)!"
Here, Clarinda defines all my stiffeners in one sentence. Do not betray your own at any cost, do not lie, do not be afraid.
In Doctor Who, I loved the episode about the bombing of London (with Christopher Ackleston). At the end, he treated the crowd with gold dust and shouted: "everybody lives!"
Today, the Russians shelled Komyshany and killed a twenty-four-year-old woman. Last time I went to spend the night in Komyshany because it seemed safer there.
I would like to ask you for money in a way that is not tricky.
Yes, we will not save everyone. So most of these medicines are long-term drugs. They help to live a better quality of life, relieve pain, soothe, and allow you to quickly cure a cold or inflammation, and keep diabetes in check.
Yes, you can avoid taking blankets to old people and give out 10 diapers a month instead of a package, as large humanitarian foundations do.
Yes, many of my clients will die in the next 6 months. They will write that it was due to natural causes. But they are not natural.
It's war, insensitivity, indifference, loneliness, vulnerability.
If you can, please help me to argue with this a little bit where I really know how.
I will gladly accept help in any way: repost, money, medicine, adult diapers, fuel coupons, fuel, a good playlist for the road.
PayPal: samolena.help@gmail.com
Lena's presentation with more information and stories of the people she is helping.
Supplies being prepared for Lena's next trip.
Below are photos from Lena's last trip to Kherson.
Yura's deliveries to seniors. (to view more photos, click the > arrow)
Yura's new project, Art therapy (2nd class) Village Vyazivok
We are supporting art therapy classes for children of displaced families.
1st class had 14 children
Translation of letter from local government to Yura for his volunteer activity:
We would like to express our gratitude for the humanitarian aid for the residents of Starostinskiy district and the delivery of 44 complete food kits. The following families were included:
9 families with many children
Disabled: 13 families
Single elderly people: 22 families.
Residents accepted help with great gratitude and wished you health, peaceful skies and well-being.
The management and employees of the Starostinskiy district also express their sincere gratitude to you for your active position and help to people in such a difficult war time.
We wish you success in your activity and inspiration in your hard work.
We sent money to the musicians who recorded their music for us. For more on the concert, see the Other Offerings page.
Above: Oksana Nikituk, Svyatoslav Sylenko, Mykyta Suhovienko and Bohdana Pyvnenko
Below: Daria Mykolenko, Yana Tatarova, Galyna Gregorchak-Odryns’ka, Iryna Bespalova-Prymak
We sent money to Anna Philipova to purchase a new defibrillator battery for the ambulance
Yuri's latest supplies delivery
We sent money to purchase more boots for soldiers and also to feed cats who were abandoned by displaced families.
Hello! I’m back with a report about my Kherson trip.
I stayed there for a week from 17 to 24 December.
Thanks to your donations and the help of my friends, we brought a full truckload of medicines, warm blankets, rubber heating pads, adult diapers and hygiene kits for families with children to the city.
While we were driving to Kherson, Andrey (a volunteer from my team) called me and said that a shell had hit near the house where we had a warehouse (and where his family lived)
All the glass flew out from the sound wave of the explosion. Due to the fact that I had money on my paypal balance, I was able to buy plywood, nails, construction staplers and other stuff. And immediately upon arrival, we began to clog the windows in the building. At that time, 6 families remained there (4 children, 5 adults with limited mobility).
We covered all the windows, stabilized the temperature in the medical rooms and reinforced the doors/doorways in the basements where everyone gathers during shelling.
Next week, this building and neighboring houses were shelled three more times. One of the shells damaged the rooms where Andrei's family lived, so in parallel we also started the evacuation.
In order to save everything that was left in the warehouse, we distributed and delivered everything in an accelerated mode.
On December 18, a holiday for children was held on one of the city squares, where St. Nicholas (the Ukrainian analogue of Santa) gave gifts to children. There we distributed 230 gifts of sweets and fruits and about 500 packages of baby puree and biscuits.
On December 18, I went to the village of Skhidne (translates as “Eastern”) - this is one of the remote villages in the region. On the day I arrived, the electricity was turned on for the first time in nine months.
We brought medicines to this village. All night long, I and a local resident (formerly a nurse) packed medicines according to the individual requests and prescriptions of the residents.
Due to the nature of war and shortages, targeted packages “work” more effectively, because people who haven’t seen much help can be embittered. Periodically, locals can argue, sometimes even fight for medicines.
On December 19, in Skhidne, in 3 hours, I gave about 100 personal kits with medicines (with different composition - from oncological to anti-cold)
There is no hospital there now and there is nothing like it. The only doctor left at the beginning of the occupation. Therefore, I visited local people with limited mobility who needed help with injections, measuring sugar levels, adjusting doses of drugs or replacing them with analogues.
We distributed warm blankets to those in need. For families with children - already traditionally - gifts, sweets, washing powders, sets for drawing and studying.
On December 19, in the afternoon, I returned to Kherson and we drove to 5 more addresses where people who cannot leave the house live (a semi-paralyzed woman, a woman with Parkinson's disease and her husband after a stroke, a man who had meningitis, etc)
They also received targeted medicines and personal gifts that my Kyiv friends had collected. These were small packets of sweets (for people with diabetes - separate products with fructose or a low glycemic index), socks, tea, delicious canned food and small letters where people wrote about how we live in Kyiv, wishing for warmth, light and a speedy victory.
Also brought disposable diapers, care products for bedridden patients, antiseptics.
On December 20, I gave away most of the medical warehouse:
147 packs of antithrombotic drugs
30 packs of insulin, syringes and pen needles
about 120 packages (did not count exactly, but there were two boxes) of thyroid drugs (l-thyroxine)
58 packs of diapers
about 50 soothing drops
At the same time, Kherson was heavily shelled and a couple of people in line had panic attacks. One of the women fell and lost consciousness. We called an ambulance. While they were arriving (slowly) I marked the disappearing path and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The woman was brought to her senses.
On December 21, I also visited the wards in the city.
The 22nd we were transporting several boxes of women's pads and urological pads to the nearby village (Kamyshany). We also brought 20 packs of baby diapers and 43 packs of baby food there.
On the 23rd, I helped evacuation teams to evacuate several of my disabled patients.
Now I am preparing a new trip in January. Thanks to your donations and help (constant!) I have already bought adult diapers for the amount of UAH 31,000, warm blankets and heating pads.
Yesterday I received requests from two villages with a large list of medicines.
I am starting to collect, buy out medicines, and one of these days I will start sorting them into targeted sets.
At the moment, 89 people in Kherson and about 500 in the villages are waiting for my help.
First of all, the request is for medical assistance. Food shortages are closed by many volunteers, supermarkets are opening in the city, which operate even under shelling.
Novaya Pochta is functioning - a large Ukrainian delivery team.
There is almost no mobile connection in the city. It happens that you walk several kilometers, but you can’t even catch EDGE.
Many districts are almost without electricity.
The city is shelled about 30-40 times a day. Different areas, different types of artillery weapons. Huge amount of destruction. On December 24, 10 people were killed and more than 50 were injured due to the massive shelling of the central market.
Kherson Blood Center invites donors daily. I managed to donate blood this time.
A lot of local residents stand in line and are ready to donate blood all the time. Permanent lists of donors are being created, including platelet donors (which is very important in some cases).
I continue my trips, looking for people in Kherson, who help with distributions or collect information about those who need help.
I sincerely thank you for your support, encouraging messages, warmth and sensitivity.
This is actually a huge help.
Separately, I am very grateful to Yuri for his help and useful contacts.
And I am glad to meet such beautiful hearts in such a difficult time.
Photos from Kherson
Letter from Anna: "I am so happy and deeply grateful ! Your gifts for my birthday and as well as donations from Sangha for Ukraine. We bought a lot of necessary medicine at the forefront in Bakhmut! "
We donated money to Lena from Kiev to purchase and deliver medicine in Kherson. Video below is from Lena.
https://www.facebook.com/samoilenko.olena/videos/518413950253956
Recordings of our sessions with Anna and Lena are on the site below
Anna Filippova - December 17th, 2022
Lena Samoilenko - December 9th, 2022
https://shambhalaonline.org/compassion-for-ukraine-daily-tonglen-gathering/
We sent money for an IPAD for the 72nd brigade.
Letter of gratitude:
"I would like to thank Sangha for Ukraine for supporting the purchase of a tablet for the new group of UAV operators of the 72nd Brigade. Good equipment will help to perform combat missions more efficiently, and some of our work will save the lives of our soldiers on the front line of defense. Together - strength! Glory to Ukraine!"
Using money from the toy auction, Yura organized a party for children. See video and photos below.
We raised 2K for children in the Mother and Child House and for children in Yura's village. It was a lot of fun!
We sent money to Yura to purchase warm blankets for children. Below are some of the children receiving their blankets. The youngest child's father has died.
SENT MONEY:
*TO BUY SLEEPING BAGS FOR SOLDIERS.
*FOR WOMEN WITH CHILDREN IN DNIPRO.
* TO PURCHASE MEDICINE IN KHERSON.
*Bought four kerosene heaters for three sangha members and one sangha member's friend.
The article about helping Pets in Ukraine:
Fundraised to buy Yura a computer and a boiler for hot water.
Yura will use the computer for doing his volunteer work.
NOVEMBER, 2022
Sent money to a sangha member whose husband is a soldier to buy him a bullet-proof jacket and helmet.
Supported fundraising effort to buy a generator for the House of Mother and Child
We continue to support volunteer Yura Mukhin, the founder and director of Phoenix for Ukraine. Below are pictures from his recent trip to bring food to families and especially children:
OCTOBER, 2022
Sent money for tactical medicine: tourniquets, patches and hemostatic serviettes.
Sent money to help homeless cats.
" Svitlana from the Borodyanka town always took care of homeless animals, especially cats. She fed, treated them and, as far as possible, looked for homes. When Borodyanka was shelled and occupied by Russian troops, Svitlana did not leave the town - only because she could not leave the animals to their own devices.
At that time, even the people in Borodyanka had nothing to eat. Residents of the city cooked leftover cereals on fires in their yards. Svitlana gave her food to animals on the streets.
When Borodyanka was de-occupied, we went as volunteers to help - that's how we met Svitlana there. We left her pet food and picked up several cats to find families in Europe for them.
Now the authorities are helping people in Borodyanka. However, the animals there are still in dire straits. And soon a cold and hungry winter will come. Svetlana continues to feed the cats and tries to find them families. But it is very difficult for her financially. Such people as Svitlana are unique and sensitive personalities, of which there are few. Perhaps you have the opportunity to support her and the hungry animals of Borodyanka."
More on Svitlana and the cats she is helping:
Now Svitlana, in order to be able to feed the kittens and adult cats she cares for, was forced to go to work. Every day she gets up at 5 in the morning and goes for difficult and exhausting work at the factory. By the way - she is already 60. She had a stroke. Her husband is a soldier now and has not received a salary for several months.
I am very glad to be able to help Svitlana today: we brought 4 bags of high-quality dry cat food, 2 boxes of wet food (including canned food for kittens) and several bags of cat litter filler.
All this is thanks to the Sangha for Ukraine foundation, who did not stand aside and decided to help Svitlana and her injured and hungry animals. Thank you and greetings from the happy cat's tails
SEPTEMBER, 2022
Sent money to the Ukrainian soldiers to buy Tactical Backpacks and Boots.
There are 10 people currently staying there, three families will stay for the full school year, until next June and with the support received they can buy the children food and the supplies they need for school. They are going to Polish school and receive teachings in both Polish and Ukrainian so they are learning the language.
Sent money for women with children to flee Kherson and Zaporizhya.
YURA MUKHIN,
PHOENIX OF UKRAINE
Sent money to support a volunteer that buys groceries for internally displaced people every week.
Sent money for Starlink - antenna that receives Wi-Fi signal from space, from the satellites. It’s been of HUGE help to Ukrainians in this war, bringing Wi-Fi to remote areas, enabling soldiers and medics to communicate with the rest of the world from areas where there’s no mobile internet.
Thank you so much Ella Reznikova and your amazing community for the generous donation! You’re really making a difference!
SEPTEMBER, 2022
Sent money to the wives of captured and killed Azov citizens, who united to support each other, because someone lost not only their husband and brother, but also their house and all their property in Mariupol. They have 30 children in all. This money will be used for clothes and, if necessary, for school.
We made donation by connecting with a wonderful Ukrainian lady, Yana Walder, who helps with transportation, food and medicine for single women with children from dangerous areas especially Kharkiv.
https://vtdigger.org/2022/03/11/vermonter-yana-walder-grew-up-in-kharkiv-now-its-under-attack/
Video: Gratitude for bullet proof jackets from the Ukrainian soldier.
https://www.facebook.com/igor.lutsenko/videos/735410194210422
VOLUNTEERS FROM KANIV, UKRAINE
Helped with food and other necessities for refugees.
Helped another soldier’s widow with two children.
Helped one sangha refugee in Brussels to pay deposit for an apartment.
We helped buy and send radio sets to the front.
MOTOROLA DP 4400E VHF
Sent money to a woman in Germany who has been working for a child orphanage from Ukraine: 78 children, some of which are severely disabled and orphans. 13 brave and compassionate warriors from Ukraine who were working in this orphanage dragged the kids on pillows and mattresses to the Polish border and they were picked up there with ambulances from Bielefeld, Germany. They are still there now. Many of the workers from Ukraine left to go back to Ukraine.
The kids are in a much better state now. There is not really money left - their treatment and the special wheelchairs and all that are very expensive.
There are voices that the children could go back to Ukraine and reunite with the people who have been working with them and for them before.
But severely disabled people have very very poor conditions in Ukraine. There they are always lying in bed and they never leave their rooms. There were in a terrible state when they arrived.
So it means a lot to her to raise funds and make it possible for the orphans to stay here in Bielefeld.
She has a job and is a single mother and still she volunteers to work for the orphans evening and night shifts for 2 months. She said that she will never forget this time because it was so horrible (especially the state the kids were in, the legs and the skin, because they never received proper therapy) and so beautiful too. She loves these kids.
We contributed to the Zen Buddhist Temple of Ann Arbor, Michigan, project: Container with variety of food supplies.
Recipients' gratitude for the 4 vests (body armor):
We helped a school head teacher with medical expenses, who fell and broke her spine.
She turned her gym hall into a place for children refugees.
She organized round-the-clock readings, meals, master classes, concerts, and the weaving of camouflage for soldiers.
Altea, Spain Ukrainian Support Fund
Helping sangha members to support their businesses affected by the war.
Sangha member's business helping animals during the war:
Sangha member's wife' Humanitarian Aid Organization:
Helped to raise money for the Shambhala Archives to hire Irina Vorobieva for 6 months for a project. https://shambhalaarchives.org/donate/
We regularly support soldier's widows.
One of them was a widow of a sangha member's friend . Below is his friend's memories:
"Some days I couldn't dare to write about it. Every time I sat down, and every time I dropped my hands. A close friend of mine has passed away. My former commander in the ATO. A man is infinitely courageous and infinitely noble - Oleg Pereguda. He was the one I came to the front last time. He died literally hours after we said goodbye. He died unbreakable and undefeated. In battle, saving with his life the lives of his brothers.
I remember him, the young boy who came into the tent of our then-uncompleted 3rd platoon in July 2014.
He may not have been the youngest, but very quickly earned respect as a true commander. Because he always valued the lives of others more than his own. Because he always risked more than us. Because he was always ready to fight for his people to the end.
He was a true warrior. And in general, in everything real. Brave, clever, organized, prudent. Always went to battle first and led everyone behind him. It wasn't scary to be next to him. When in 2014 we got shelled at sunset in the Sands, I already thought that was our last fight. But it was because of him that we got out then without losses.
After the invasion in February, he was in the military the same day. Fueled the occupiers' equipment in Kherson region. Held positions in Svyatogorsk when others left. Destroyed several enemy groups in counterattacks near Tatiana and Virgin, adjusted artillery and stormed heights, freed villages and captured prisoners.
At the same time, he was extremely humble. If he had read this post, he would definitely say to me: "What are you writing?! What about me for? Here's a better way to write about boys".
He never needed anything for himself. But he was willing to give his last to others. And when I barely talked, he was the one who helped my family get a favor when they were forced to leave the occupied Berdyansk.
And he also had a dream. He wanted to build a rehabilitation center for ATO veterans. And did it with all his passion, lending land and resources to local authorities, seeking donors and bringing people together.
He lived for us and died for us. I'll remember him smiling, singing "Vova, fuck them", driving a car, somewhere in Luhansk region. This war gave me the happiness of having a Friend like this and caused unbearable pain now by taking him away.
But you're still staying with me, friend. Forever. I know that you will be the best up there in heaven. You will become the commander of the angelic battalion and protect us forever.
Farewell, my friend. It has been an honor to know you. We will continue your business and win for sure. In memory of you, about thousands of dead best sons and daughters of Ukraine.
May you rest in peace, Brother.
Who wants and is able to support his wife: 5167803231173852 (Savings Bank), Pereguda V. V."