This article below appears as it does in the print edition of the Summer 2022 Newsletter. For the latest updates on Water Mission’s crisis response in Ukraine, click here.
The conflict in Ukraine has left more than 6 million people in Ukraine struggling to access safe water. Without reliable water sources for their families, people have resorted to desperate measures, often filling buckets, gas cans, and plastic bags with unsafe water from streams and waterways.
Water Mission is on the ground working to meet safe water, sanitation, and hygiene needs. We have shipped emergency water treatment equipment and water purification supplies to get safe water flowing in multiple cities in Ukraine. We are also distributing hygiene kits for refugees and those displaced inside Ukraine to help people stay healthy.
“These hygiene kits are small boxes of hope,” says Craig Williams from our Partnerships and Emergency Coordination team. “They contain basic sanitary supplies—toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap—and are sent into Ukraine for women and children who have fled their homes. These supplies can make their lives easier.”
We continue to partner with local churches to address physical and spiritual needs, bringing the reassurance of God’s love to those who have experienced tremendous loss. Our local church partners share stories of refugees, young and old, who have given their lives to Christ after witnessing how Christians are serving in His name.
“Your God will be my God,” a 67-year-old Ukrainian refugee shared about her salvation, “because what you’ve done for me, the care and love you’ve shown, is more than I ever expected from people that are not my people, in a country that’s not mine.”
Please pray for the men, women, and children of Ukraine. Pray also for our team working in Ukraine and the surrounding region; may God protect and guide them in this vital service. May we continue to bring hope to our global neighbors in their time of greatest need, serving as an example of our Lord’s great love. No matter how great the need, our God’s love is greater.