How our winter help brings warmth into cold homes in Ukraine
A Ukraine family unable to afford firewood were fearful of winter, until Mission Without Borders’ support made all the difference10th February 2025
The hardest time of year
“Winter is the hardest time of the year. The children get ill often. Getting sick is dangerous because we don’t have efficient medical care in the village.”
Svitlana, 41, lives with her husband Valeriy, 35, and their four children in Maryanivka, a remote village in western Ukraine.
It takes about 40 minutes to drive along an old, broken road from the town of Sarny to where the Pankovets family lives.
Life in this isolated village is tough, and when winter arrives, survival becomes an even greater challenge. Bitter cold, limited resources, and a lack of access to medical care put vulnerable families like Svitlana’s at risk.
Mission Without Borders provides Svitlana and Valeriy and their children with regular support – working with them to find ways to build better conditions and a better future.
Sergiy, Mission family worker, shared: "This is a tough place to live in. There are no jobs, no basic amenities, and no health or community services. This is common for all remote villages in this region."
Uncomfortable and vulnerable
As temperatures plummet, life becomes even more challenging. The Pankovets’ home is poorly insulated against the cold, with no central heating.
"Our house is heated only with firewood, and it’s getting more expensive each year," Svitlana explains. "Enough firewood for the whole winter costs almost half of our income."
There have been many winters when the family barely had enough firewood to stay warm.
"I felt so uncomfortable and vulnerable. My biggest fear was for my children’s health. One year, a couple of them caught pneumonia."
At times, the family is forced to sleep fully dressed, wearing hats, under multiple blankets just to stay warm. The damp and mold from the freezing temperatures quickly spread through their old, poorly insulated home.
God’s provision means so much
Operation Winter Rescue ensures that children, families and elderly people living in poverty throughout Eastern Europe receive the support they need to survive the freezing winter months.
"We are helping the Pankovets family with firewood," says Sergiy. "The winter is severe, and they need firewood daily for heating and cooking—for both their children and their livestock. This support makes all the difference for the family. I know they have no money to buy firewood, and God’s provision means so much to them."
Through the generosity of donors like you, families in desperate need can receive warmth, nourishment, and hope.
"Your support is so important and deeply appreciated. We thank you from all our hearts!" says Svitlana.
Help bring warmth and hope this winter. Donate now and provide essential firewood, blankets, and warm clothing to struggling families like Svitlana’s.
