Projects we are working on
While ICROSS Canada continues to carry out projects that support our other projects throughout the world, we have included in this year's worklist, projects in Ukraine. So far, ICROSS Canada has supported shipments of food and medical supplies into Ukraine and Poland. We have also arranged a truckload of food and mattresses to be brought from Germany to Poland, with the intention of delivering those products to Ukraine. We have a plan to convert five of the containers that have been sent into medical clinics. We are also currently working on developing a trauma informed cognitive base skills program to assist people, especially those with young children as they face daily struggles related to war.
Local Programs
We have had the opportunity to serve people in Canada who have are refugees or new to the country. We have supported women's programs and childrens events for inner city kids.
Here is one person's story, from Ukraine
Meet Maria.
Maria is a married mother of two living in a medium-size city in western Ukraine. Although her city has not been impacted by direct bombing, the influx of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people has made life in her city very difficult. While her children are still able to go to school, she worries about them night and day.
In order to protect them from potential bombings, the family often sleeps in an interior room such as the bathroom. There are also air raid sirens each night causing both parents and children to lose sleep. There is food on the store shelves, but not everything that they are used to. Also, inflation has made the price of food and other essential supplies beyond the reach of many people. Increased costs of living have led to Maria's family struggling just to get basic supplies.
Some of Maria's neighbours have left the country to become refugees in other places around Europe and North America. Maria has decided to stay. She has specialized training in counselling and has decided that she would rather stay and to help, as things are not yet that bad. Her unpaid, volunteer work is helping dozens of families Just like her own. She and her husband have agreed that she will leave if life in her city becomes more dangerous.
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Thanks to the generosity of people in Canada, including ICROSS Canada, Maria has been able to get products such as soap, diapers, wipes, children's clothing and hygiene supplies. Her family recently received a nutritious, hot meal from church volunteers who mixed Canadian dried vegetables to make a lovely borsch. Maria hopes to be able to stay in her city and help others as long as possible. She's very thankful to friends in Canada who she has never met, who care about her, and who have wanted to support her family during this very difficult time.
Maria said, "I thank God for my friends in Canada. I pray that they would be blessed for their care and sacrifice for us. It is very comforting to know that people care about us and that we are not alone."
