The LWF delegation visits a metro school in Kharkiv, Ukraine. As the city is constantly being attacked, these underground schools provide a safe space for children to learn. Photo: LWF/ Anatoliy Nazarenko
Appreciation for LWF's humanitarian work
(LWI) - Supporting families affected by the war and helping internally displaced persons: On their visit to Ukraine, the leadership of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) visited the frontline city of Kharkiv, which is currently the target of a military offensive. Meeting staff and visiting areas of LWF's work, LWF President Bishop Henrik Stubkjær and LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt expressed appreciation for the scope and quality of work of LWF in Ukraine.
Supporting the people of Ukraine
LWF in Ukraine currently works in Kharkiv. Key activities include shelter rehabilitation (renovating apartments damaged by the war), humanitarian aid to internally displaced people, and running 14 so-called heating points, where people receive hot meals and can rest and charge devices when there is no electricity or heating. These power cuts happen often, as Kharkiv's infrastructure is being attacked again.
"It is important for us to be here and see the work that we have heard so much about," said the LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt. "As LWF, we remain committed to Ukraine and helping people live with dignity.
Maria Ivaninvna from Kharkiv hugs LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt on the solidarity visit on 14 May 2024. Ivanivna's apartment was hit by a missile in 2022 and rehabiliated by LWF. Behind her are the pictures of her sons, who are fighting in the army, and her grandson. Photo: LWF/ Anatolyi Nazarenko
Currently, care for displaced people is a priority, explained Mark Mullan, who leads the LWF team in Ukraine. "The situation at the front line worsens; every day, hundreds arrive from these areas." LWF, together with local partner Spilna Sprava dla Ljudey, are receiving internally displaced people and providing them with relief goods.
Possible to return home
At the same time, work continues in the residential areas damaged in 2022 at the beginning of the invasion. "We see apartments without windows, doors, and walls. We meet people who have been traumatized," Mullan said. LWF's work goes beyond repairing windows and doors. "We don't just rehabilitate physical spaces; we rehabilitate families. They need more than just a place to stay. They need psychosocial support, income, legal support, etc. We use a holistic, integrated approach when assisting the affected population". Community mobilizers, who are young women from the neighborhood, connect the residents with local authorities and other infrastructure for help.
"We were at home when our apartment was hit," says Iryna Mykolaevna, who lives with her brother and young son in an apartment block in Kharkiv's residential area. The house still shows traces of attacks – holes, black, burned spots, bullet holes, windows are covered with plywood instead of windowpanes. The family lived in a nearby basement for a month and then moved in with relatives until the city had restored electricity, water supply, and heating in the block. "Then LWF came," Iryna says and smiles. "They made it possible for us to return home and stay here."
Thank you for visiting us. Thank you for not forgetting about us.
Ivan PREDOROVICH, resident of Kharkiv
"You are now part of our family," added Ivan Predorovich, who lives in the same building. "I cannot believe where you are coming from. Thank you for visiting us. Thank you for not forgetting about us."
LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt and LWF president Bishop Henrik Stubkjaer greet LWF staff at the Kharkiv office. Photo: LWF/ Anatolyi Nazarenko
Offering hope
LWF in Kharkiv has started a new project: Transforming nuclear shelters into underground schools. Schools in Eastern Ukraine have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic. "When the pandemic was over, the war started," Mullan said. "Some students have been out of classes since the beginning of 2020, with all its negative effects."
The city opened five metro schools in subway stations only recently, and they can only accommodate a small number of students. LWF plans to open the first school in September when the new school year starts.
"Education has always played an important role for us in the Lutheran Communion," said General Secretary Burghardt after visiting both the metro schools and the shelters that will become new underground classrooms. "Giving the children who live under harsh conditions in Kharkiv the possibility to go back to school in person, to offer them a possibility not to forget what it is like to meet other children in the classroom, is like bringing a piece of peaceful times back to their lives. I am very proud of our LWF staff and our partners on the ground who are working on this project enthusiastically, offering hope to the children, their parents and teachers".
Addressing the staff in the Kharkiv office, LWF president Bishop Henrik Stubkjær added, "This is a very difficult environment to live and work in. We hear about your daily life in the news, but only now do we have an idea of what it really means to live here. "God bless you and your work."
Saltivka quarter, Kharkiv, where LWF rehabilitates apartments. Photo: LWF/ Anatolyi Nazarenko
