Help us help refugees from Ukraine

You might have heard about the intense bombings in Ukraine lately.

During one recent night, Kyiv experienced what its mayor described as the most massive attack on the capital since the beginning of the full-scale war. At least 30 people were killed and 91 injured.

The attack lasted more than 11 hours. During that night, 52,500 people — including 4,500 children — sheltered in underground metro stations.

But even before that attack, we knew how bad things were. Ukrainians in Moldova regularly tell us about friends and relatives spending hours underground, waiting for the explosions to stop.

There are thousands of bomb shelters across Ukraine. Some were built after World War II. Many others were improvised after the conflict intensified in 2022. In cities such as Odesa, people may have to use them several times a day.

Most are very basic.

Nobody expected that four years later, families would still keep emergency bags by the door, children would recognize air raid sirens, and people would spend entire nights underground before returning to work and school.

This spring, we began helping renovate bomb shelters in Odesa.

Technically, many are functional: thick concrete walls, underground corridors and enough space to wait until the danger passes. But many are also dark, damp and neglected.

In a shelter we recently revived, exposed cables and pipes crossed the walls. The bathroom looked as if it had survived several historical periods of its own. Residents had brought down benches, chairs and anything else that could make the waiting more manageable.

It offered protection, but it did not feel safe or welcoming.

People arrive after being woken by sirens, often carrying sleepy children, phones, blankets, water, medication and pets. Then they wait — sometimes for twenty minutes, sometimes for several hours.

And the anguish persists.

What if all it took was a bucket of paint, a string of lights and a colorful poster to lighten up the most stressful hour of someone’s day?

Not fancy. Just cleaner, brighter and more human.

A short escape from the chaos outside.

The work includes removing trash and mold, repairing and plastering walls, painting, improving the lighting and creating spaces where adults can sit and children can play.

It also gives learners a real place to practice construction skills and become better at an important income-generating activity — while improving a space the community urgently needs.

The shelter refresh will not stop the sirens. But it can make the waiting less frightening and give people a more dignified place to gather.

Thank you for helping us bring a little more light underground — and more tools into people’s hands.

One bucket, one wall and one very long extension cord at a time.

Links:

• Reviving bomb shelteres - a video snapshot