I-Care Refugee Program has huge impact

Ukraine (MNN/ME) — The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had many negative results. More than 6,000 people have lost their lives. According to reports, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes. This has created a humanitarian crisis.

Mission Eurasia tells us young people in their School Without Walls program decided they needed to do something about it. Through this non-formal, flexible program, more than 2,500 young leaders in 13 countries of the former Soviet Union and Israel annually obtain the biblical foundation and practical ministry experience they need to impact their communities and nations for Christ. They used this training to start the I-Care Refugee Program in Ukraine.

Since the violence erupted in April 2014, young people have been:

• Providing relief aid in the form of food packs and clothing for refugee families.
• Providing copies of Scripture and Scripture-based materials for everyone affected by the crisis, including refugee families, orphans, and soldiers on the frontlines. Designing and hosting training events for local pastors to help them more effectively care for the refugees in their midst.
• Developing Christian counseling materials for pastors and other Christians who are working with refugee families.
• Providing pre-fab housing for homeless, displaced families through our Homes for the Homeless initiative.
• Caring for needy, homeless children through the restoration of an orphanage, construction of playgrounds, and distribution of Gifts of Hope.

Many of you have contributed to the program. If you have, you’ve helped with:

• The distribution of more than 7,280 family food packs, providing enough food for 29,000 people for a week. These food packs were distributed to those living in the most violent areas of eastern Ukraine.
• The shipment and distribution of eight 40-foot containers with 1,114,560 individually-packed meals, and more than 174,000 pounds of other food goods, donated by partner ministries in the U.S. and Ukraine. A total of 272,160 individual meals have been distributed so far.
• The shipment and distribution of sixteen 40-foot containers with more than 583,000 pounds of clothing, shoes, bedding, and miscellaneous home goods from partner ministries in the U.S., Germany, and Ukraine. These goods have been distributed to needy refugees in the Donetsk, Kharkov, and Zaporozhye regions, among many others.

Overall, your support has helped Mission Eurasia to print and distribute:

• Gospels of John in the Ukrainian language: 200,000 copies
• Gospels of Luke in the Ukrainian language: 200,000 copies
• Gospels of Luke in the Russian language: 200,000 copies
• Hope Magazine: 125,000 copies
• How to Live Further: 100,000 copies
• Greatest Stories of Hope for children: 20,000 copies
• Total: 845,000 copies

I-Care has been responsible for amazing stories of hope. Yevgeny, who lives near war-torn Donetsk with his wife and three children, is a testament of God’s power in the midst of tragedy. “After our home burned down and we were left with nothing, we didn’t know what to do,” he shares. “In one of the darkest moments, a group of joyful young people showed up in the yard of the home of our friends whom we were staying with. They brought gifts and told my children about Christmas…. This was completely unexpected. No one had brought us anything in a very long time. I started crying and knew in that moment that God cares for us. He sent strangers to bring us hope and joy when we were in great need of it.” Even in the midst of turmoil, God is using “I Care” to reveal His love to the hurting people of Ukraine

The needs continue to be great in Ukraine. There are still many internally displaced Ukrainians who not only need physical aid, but they need the Savior. Support the I-Care program today by clicking here.

If you’d like to read the full report Mission Eurasia produced for supporters of the program, click here.