The Donbas is located on Ukraine's eastern border with Russia and consists of two regions, Luhank and Donetsk, partly inhabited by Russian-speaking residents. At the end of February 2022, close to the beginning of the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, a mass evacuation of the Russian-speaking population of the Donbas to the motherland was announced. Those who were relocated were mainly women and children, as most of the men remained.
'The evacuation took people by surprise, unexpectedly, like snow on their heads,' says Ludmila Shabelnikova, on the website of the Eurasian Region (Ead) of the Adventist Church.
Groups of hundreds of people were brought to the city of Ostrogozhsk and housed in the hostel of a vocational school. "Everything was needed," Shabelnikova continues, "There were beds, but no sheets. Big windows, but no curtains to protect from the view of passers-by. No nappies or personal hygiene products, no toilet paper and not even drinking water."
The Adventists of Ostrogozhsk and Liskinsky were worried and sad about the situation the evacuees found themselves in. "We contacted the hostel administration and asked, 'How can we help?'" shares Shabelnikova. "The answer was 'we need clothes and towels, notebooks and markers, sugar and vegetable oil, fruit for the children and jackets for the boys...' and the list went on.”
Aid from the church
The Adventist congregations immediately got into motion, collecting funds and the necessary items.
"The first week was the most difficult," explains Shabelnikova. "Church members collected, almost non-stop, clothes, utensils, toys, sheets, towels. We bought hygiene products, fruits, and water. The funds collected were also used to buy cloth and the women in the church sewed new sheets. Carpets were needed in the children's playroom to insulate the floor. People donated four huge rugs and other smaller ones. Now the children can play on a warm, soft floor. The more communication took place, the more their daily needs could be considered. When the basic needs were met, the hostel administration asked for antennas for two TV sets, so that the children could watch cartoons and the women the news. After all, their husbands and adult children had stayed behind..."
Adventist churches in Tver and St. Petersburg contributed to the aid by sending cash donations, and residents of Ostrogozhsk and neighbouring villages also donated items and products.
Slowly, the displaced people began to calm down, to feel "as if we had come to our relatives. We were welcomed here like family members,” they said.
A special March 8
With the approach of March 8, International Women's Day, the Adventist community wanted to organise something pleasant for the displaced women. A class for making paper flowers was planned. "Women from the Donbas were invited to the classes," explains Shabelnikova. "Imagine our surprise when we saw only little 'women' of 8-10 years of age arriving, bringing with them 'men' of the same age. Their mothers said the best present for 8 March was a holiday, while the children were busy with class.”
So, instead of lasting the planned 60 minutes, the lessons were extended to three hours. The mothers and grandmothers expressed joy and gratitude, also, for the beautiful bouquets of flowers made by the children and received as gifts. "Come and see us again," they said.
"And if, in the beginning, we were referred to in the media as 'some Christian churches', now, when asked 'From whom do you receive humanitarian aid?', the hostel manager answers 'From the Adventist Christian church'," Shabelnikova concludes.
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