Nationwide call to help Ukraine this Easter

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GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS & VIDEO - This weekend, many South African families will celebrate Easter.

It will be a long weekend culminating in Family Day, so the prospect of spending time together, maybe enjoying a good meal, is a pleasant thought.

This is a far cry from what families in the Ukraine may be facing this weekend.

"In areas where there is no access to, nor availability of food, people are boiling grass to survive. It was the same in Syria," Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers said earlier this week.

The organisation has been actively involved in humanitarian aid to Ukraine for almost two months now, since Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

Sizeable impact

Gift of the Givers' involvement sprang partly from the plight of a man from Mossel Bay, De Villiers Venter, whose Ukrainian wife, Natalia, fled from Kiev shortly after the invasion.

Venter made contact with Gift of the Givers, which has through De Villiers and mainly Natalia, set up a volunteer network comprising individuals inside the Ukraine.

As part of this effort, existing humanitarian organisations, Smart Angels and Help Ukraine Romania are also being capacitated to distribute relief aid, funded by Gift of the Givers.

PHOTO GALLERY: Gift of the Givers assist Ukraine

They commenced aid on 5 March.Mossel Bay Advertiser news editor Cornelle Carstens and editor Suzette Herrer with De Villiers Venter, a Mossel Bay local, who now helps coordinate relief aid to Ukraine. Local media countrywide is now being rallied to assist Ukrainians through humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers.

"We are focusing on fuel provision in a big way. It permits Smart Angels to deliver supplies from the west and Help Ukraine Romania to deliver from the south of the country to multiple areas of need. Food, medicines and many essential supplies are delivered because of the fuel we are providing," says Dr Sooliman.

"Natalia returned to her apartment in Kiev this week. Driving back from the small town she has been hiding in, she was now confronted with the full-scale destruction. She simply told me, 'I now have depression'," Venter told the Mossel Bay Advertiser this week.

Coordinating getting medication and supplies to older civilians is a huge operation.

Dire need

With troops withdrawing to the East of Ukraine, it is expected a new wave of bombing will hit the civilian areas, which according to Dr Sooliman warrants a great urgency for aid to vulnerable communities.

These requirements include food, water, medicines, medical equipment, mattresses, blankets, warm clothes, sanitary pads and diapers.

"We are purchasing everything inside Ukraine, in order to support the local economy. The Ukrainian volunteers have been remarkable, putting up their hands in every area to be counted to serve their people," Dr Sooliman told the Advertiser this week.

Venter, who has been actively involved in the relief aid project, says that some Ukrainian businesses have even offered discounts, realising the great need for supplies.

Following the outcry after the death of many animals, including dogs at shelters, which recently made headlines, the relief effort by Gift of the Givers also includes assistance to dogs, cats and horses, providing appropriate feeding for them.

With the discovery of mass graves, there is a request for funding to provide dignified funerals. As in the case of Bucha, some civilians were buried in their gardens.

"Some people were literally buried in their vegetable patches among their own potatoes. Soldiers guarded the cemeteries which made normal burials impossible," says Venter.

"With the coming of Easter, being a religious period, this would be an act of humanity to assist Ukrainians in burying their loved ones. The cost is very modest, at R2 000 a burial," added Dr Sooliman.

VIDEO: Local media call for support to Ukrainians

Grateful dog owners with the supplies they have received.

Local media

"South Africans are invited in an act of compassion to assist fellow humans in distress. Times in our own country are also tough, but small contributions through schools, sporting, religious, cultural and business organisations will all add up. We can't help everyone, but we certainly can assist someone."

Since Venter first shared his story with the Advertiser, an effort is being made through involving local media, the Caxton Group, utilising 130 newspapers and 61 websites to assist Gift of the Givers' relief aid in Ukraine

Donations can be paid to Gift of the Givers, Standard Bank, Pietermaritzburg, Account number 052137228, Branch Code 057525, ref Ukraine. Send deposit slip to donations@giftofthegivers.org for acknowledgement.

Gift of the Givers has been supplying food for dogs, cats and horses.