Call for parcel sponsorship for internally displaced persons

With the following words, 77-year-old Tetiana Pokydko from Putivl thanks:

“Every airstrike is a difficult test for me. My heart can’t handle the stress, my blood pressure rises, and I feel very unwell. I live alone, my husband died, and my daughter fled abroad. I survive on about 4,000 hryvnia in pension (less than 100 euros). I need most of it for medication. I count every coin. The support I’ve received has been a great relief. It’s not just material help: it’s also the feeling that there are people who care about our fate here. Thank you for your sincere heart. I wish everyone involved in this good cause health, peace, and God’s blessing.”

What a difference there is between the slogans of perseverance, the promises announced and broken, that news anchors present to us daily as a new opportunity for an end to the war in Ukraine, and the honest words of ordinary people who are happy about an aid package from the ISHR. The people who had held out near the front lines until now, but now had to flee because Putin’s war machine cannot be stopped, still speak of the hope they have of returning.

But we also hear words like Olena’s, from people who, while they have found refuge as refugees, are grateful for this, but no one was waiting for them. Olena remains a stranger in her own country. She needs help and contacts:

“My name is Olena Holub, I am 58 years old. Before the war, I lived in the beautiful city of Sievierodonetsk in the Luhansk region. My children were scattered all over the world by the war. The only consolation for me is knowing they are alive and safe. The hardest thing today is not only the loss of our home, but also the loss of the feeling of being at home. I can’t find myself in this strange city. The longing for my homeland, for the life we once knew, weighs heavily on me. Your compassion helps us hold on to hope and believe in a better future.”

Over the past three years, ISHR members in Ukraine have built deep expertise in supporting internally displaced persons near the border and front lines. Through a network of operational bases and a dedicated reporting platform, they’ve documented hundreds of cases, including Olena’s, that reflect the urgent need for both material aid and human connection.

Today, ISHR holds over 500 verified contacts of individuals requiring sustained support. These are not just numbers, they are lives disrupted by conflict, seeking dignity, stability, and community.