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Ukraine

Ukraine humanitarian aid: locals step up to the plate to keep people fed

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By Sergio Almeida
Ukrainian volunteers bake bread for the needy
Ukrainian volunteers bake bread for the needy   -  Copyright  Euronews

It's been over 50 days since the Russian invasion started, and a total of 270,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid has been delivered to Ukraine.

At the age of 70, Oleksandra did not imagine that she would have to rely on this kind of support to be able to feed her young grandchildren.

We didn't leave the city. We sit here like this, surviving wherever we can. We get humanitarian aid and thank God, we're not hungry. We're ok for now, we are hoping for the best.
Oleksandra Pertivna
Borodianka resident

And this is a situation in which almost all the inhabitants of Borodianka, find themselves. The city counts amongst the ones most devastated by the Russian occupation. But aid doesn't just come from outside the country. Within Ukraine, there is a whole system to help those who are most in need.

Local Volunteers light up their ovens

This is the case with one bakery on the outskirts of Kyiv. Part of the production space was given to volunteers so they can make bread.

We bake real Ukrainian traditional bread. It’s really good and really tasty. We make bread for the hospitals, the military, for people with low incomes who can't afford it, or for pensioners. We're constantly searching for those who may need the bread.
Roman Tereshenko
Ukrainian volunteer

For Roman, and many others, this is a job which can be as important as that of the soldiers on the frontlines. To him, helping out was a natural and logical choice, it was really important for him to do something useful.

I was thinking a lot about this because when you're holding the back, you can't hold a weapon or do something useful. It was really hard for people, and everyone was searching for ways to be useful. Some were helping with clothes, some volunteered, some were cooking something. We do as much good as we can now.
Roman Tereshenko
Ukrainian volunteer

Making hundreds of loaves of bread a day, these volunteers guarantee that they are also ready to fight until the end of this war.