Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Dear friends of Care in Action,
Merry Christmas! We want to share some of the happiness with you from people who we help. Here are some updates, photos and also a few experiences from my visit to Lviv.
Major events in December:

• Donated minibus full of aid and equipment to protect children in winter was delivered from Germany to Lviv. This second minibus is already helping us to visit more children and deliver aid. Watch video of minibus and aid delivery to Ukraine
• Christmas celebrations for 500 children are in full swing, with volunteers leading games and activities, children in orphanages having happy times, and children in low-income families receiving gifts like pyjamas and coats that will keep them warm in winter.
• 4 generators for foster families who care for 8 to 10 children in rural areas were the power supply is minimal were delivered from the UK to Lviv. When these arrived parents told us how cold it is without power, and were so happy that with a generator their children can attend school online regularly. 3 more generators were ordered in Germany.
• Winter aid is being distributed to foster families, displaced people and families in crisis: with blankets, gas cookers, emergency lights, warm clothes, children’s games and more.
• The last residents of our hostels are being helped to find longer-term housing, so just our 2 shelters will continue. Based on the need, we are reducing our housing for displaced people from 200 in July 2022 to 40 people in January 2023.

All these events alongside our child protection programmes are even more wonderful because of the challenges that were overcome to make them possible. When I visited Lviv to set goals with our team for 2023 I saw the daily disruption and anxiety caused by power cuts. At first glimpse daily life looks normal and some classrooms are open again. On my second day there, during a long air raid alarm missiles struck more of the electricity infrastructure. We experienced 24 hours with no power, and 5 hours with no phone or internet signal.
There were happy tears at our Creative Hub, where on the weekend of my visit displaced families joined a mini-market and Ukrainian music concert. A lovely woman named Nadia introduced herself to me and was effusive when she talked about how we had helped her. She said when they had to leave their homes in East Ukraine they had no idea what would happen or how they would be received as Russian speakers. They found kindness and a warm welcome and her smile and tears said so much!
In December your donation can be doubled! Please use the reference "Ukraine Winter" and a generous sponsor will match what you give. Click here to donate
Thank you for being a part of our aid in this historic year. As I celebrate Christmas I’ll be thinking of the boy in our Creative Hub, who wrote to St Nicholas “This year I won’t ask for toys or sweets, I just want a light that stays on where there is no electricity”. He was so happy when on St Nicholas Day he received just that - a lamp that’s rechargeable! We are making these kind of Christmas miracles come true, and standing with people in Ukraine when they need us most.
To all of our friends, we wish you a truly happy Christmas, and peace and prosperity in the new year.
Best wishes,
Jasmine Lehnis and all of us at Care in Action