Hand in Hand Together helps people of Shchors, Ukraine (02/01/98)

Hand in Hand Together helps people of Shchors, Ukraine

by Kay Netz

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. - Ukraine is struggling to build an independent nation and Hand in Hand Together was formed in response to the countless needs, both material and spiritual, that were observed on a visit to Ukraine in 1994.

We look back and celebrate all the needs that were met for the Ukrainian people in the past three years. However, in the future, continuing to send the much-needed humanitarian aid will be a struggle.

Hand in Hand Together was able to send aid through a program of the U.S. government called "Operation Support Freedom" (OSF). Private volunteer organizations like Hand in Hand Together gathered, packed and loaded all the donated aid consisting primarily of food, clothing and medical supplies. OSF then paid for the shipping of the donated goods. However, OSF was canceled at the end of 1996.

It costs about $6,000 to send a 40-foot steel container that holds 20 tons of aid with an approximate value of $100,000. Just before OSF closed, two containers of aid were sent at the very end of 1996 by Hand in Hand Together. These containers arrived in Ukraine in March of 1997. A total of nine containers of aid have been sent over three years.

This aid was a significant help to the people of Shchors, Ukraine. Many people are unemployed. Those who are working as teachers, doctors and nurses do not receive their salaries for months at a time. Pensioners receive their small pensions many months late. The hospitals and doctors are in desperate need of medical supplies as they struggle to treat their patients. The cost for food and other basic items is about the same as in the United States. However, compared to incomes, these prices are impossible to afford. Therefore, the food, clothing, seeds and medical supplies are especially needed and welcomed. In fact, for many Ukrainians, this aid is their lifeline to survival in difficult circumstances.

A committee of people in Shchors has been organized by Nina Lazurenko. They do an enormous amount of work. When the containers arrive, they work many hours a day to unpack and sort the contents of hundreds of boxes. Then they have the large task of distributing the aid to schools, hospitals, orphanages and needy residents. They visit people in Shchors and in many surrounding villages. Families with many children are given assistance. Old people, widows, orphans and invalids also are given special attention.

Whether a single box is sent to a needy family or to a widow or to an orphanage, or whether an entire 20-ton container of aid is sent, we are extremely grateful to all the people and groups who have supported this worthwhile effort and made it all possible.

Therefore, the challenge before us is to continue to keep the candle of hope and encouragement burning for the needy people of Ukraine. Americans are blessed with great privilege and bounty. Hand in Hand Together is completely dependent upon what God leads people to provide for Ukraine. What will our response be?

The Hand in Hand Together Benevolent Fund in Ukraine will be used for relief in emergency situations that arise. This is especially important at this time when container shipments have been curtailed. Even a few dollars for a family in a desperate plight will help lift burdens and make a big difference in their struggle to survive.

One hundred percent of all donations are tax-deductible and all donations go directly to aid the people of Ukraine. For more information or to send a donation, please contact Cliff or Kay Netz at Hand in Hand Together, 17619 Weaver Lake Drive, Maple Grove, MN, 55311; telephone (612) 420-3591; e-mail, [email protected]; website, http://www.wrightnet.com/hands

Joseph Trush is chairman of the board of the Self Reliance (Newark, N.J.) Federal Credit Union.

| Home Page |