Official reports say that they are 10+ million internally displaced people in Ukraine at this moment. When we add refugees who crossed the border seeking a new home to this number, simple math says that over 30% of Ukrainians have been forced to find a new place to live.
Ukrainians use a special word for internally displaced people – “pereselentsi”. No one can know the exact numbers officials in Dnipro estimate that 400.000+ pereselentis are seeking shelter, of which 20.000+ are 60+ years old.
The best address to look for more info on the topic was the Department of Youth Policy and National-Patriotic Education of the Dnipro City.
We arranged a meeting with their representatives to discuss a possible collaboration. We asked for very specific information about what kind of help is the most needed at the moment. The answer was pretty straightforward – money. Many of these people have nowhere to return to; their homes have been destroyed along with all their belongings. We can call them refugees or pereselentsi but in fact they are simply poor, homeless people who need money to buy medicines, bus tickets, and other essentials not included in humanitarian aid.
After the meeting, we sat down with our generous donors and discussed the options. That’s how the Envelopes of Hope project was born – we decided to put 3,000 UAH ($100) inside each envelope, along with a warmhearted message in English. Our social media community welcomed the idea and we received 100+ beautiful messages from all over the world.
The Department of Youth Policy and National-Patriotic Education organized the event and we simply distributed our first fifty Envelopes of Hope to 50 families, providing relief to 150+ people.
Please check the video of this heartbreaking but also very touching event:
