In the first month of the war, millions of women and children fled over borders into Poland, Hungary, Romania, etc. Ukrainian orphans were at extreme risk of trafficking as legal protocols had not been established. Thankfully, women and children fled as families. However, in Russian-occupied territories such as Mariupol, Russian troops evacuated children by forcibly sending them to Russia. Recently, the ICC, International Criminal Court, indicted Putin for war crimes of trafficking Ukrainian children to Russia. Mercy Projects quietly helps Ukrainian orphans who found their way to safety out of Russia into another country.
2022 – March & April – Rescue and Evacuation
The priority in March/April 2022 was to rescue our staff. We evacuated the women and children and family members who fled the conflict. The Russians shelled the outskirts of Kyiv and some locations inside Kyiv. Our priority was the safety of our co-workers, friends, staff, and family coordinators.
We also assisted in the evacuation of people from eastern Ukraine, Chornobyl, and the Sumy oblast. Again, safety was the primary objective.
2022 – May – July – Ministry to Refugees families
Our staff, situated in Hungary, Poland, and Germany, desired to keep serving others. We held multiple camps in Hungary for Ukrainian refugee kids, most of whom were un-churched and had never attended a Christian camp.
They continued to manage the MP ministry efforts inside Ukraine as best possible. We continue to drive supplies from Hungary to needy families in the war zones of Ukraine.
2022 – Aug–Nov Aid to Families in Ukraine
The months of August through November the various MP partners delivered firewood, warm clothes, foodstuffs, and other aid such as generators during the electrical blackouts. In this photo, local men in the villages near Kherson, liberated from the Russians in November, all pitch in to unload the truck. Everyone helped each other to load their firewood and transport it home. Shelling continues in and around Kherson as the Russians want it back.
2022/23 Dec–Jan In the War Zone
Our teams traveled extensively in the Donetsk and Kherson oblasts to deliver wood-burning stoves, bulk foodstuffs, medicines, and basic needs. The shipments included giving bibles to those who wanted one, shoes, warm socks, and bulletproof vests as needed.
The ministry in these areas is dangerous but courageous Ukrainians continue to persevere despite the lack of electricity, running water, and the cold.
2023 Feb–March – Delivery of seeds, chickens
We partner with different individuals, churches, and NGOs in Ukraine. We continue to collaborate on aid projects around Ukraine including Chernobyl, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts.