Yulia Palagnuk, OF Prosperous future for you, Chernivtsi, Ukraine.
“We are in the west of Ukraine. This is the home front, although every day there are air raids, sirens are sounding and we are hiding in bomb shelters. We have a huge number of refugees and everything is being done to help them and the military forces. Pharmacies are out of basic necessities: bandages, cotton wool, gauze, painkillers.
Representatives of our key populations have been left without shelter because landlords prefer more creditworthy tenants and ask people to vacate their flats so that they can rent them for more money.
We get calls from women with children, they are asking for help. Representatives of key populations with whom we work have trophic ulcers aggravated due to lack of treatment, their legs are rotting, there is nothing to bandage them, there is nothing to anaesthetise them. And under martial law no one looks at these problems as people die in war… Everything goes to war.
We try to participate in all volunteer mailings with our own forces to organize food and bandage packages”.
Vladimir Kazus, President of Charity Foundation “Blago”, Kharkiv, Ukraine
«The situation in our hometown of Kharkiv is very sad, we are bombarded on a daily basis! Some social workers have had to leave the city, but they still continue to work and support our clients from key populations online. A page on Instagram @kompas_7 for teenagers was created. There we provide counselling and psychological help, more than 100 appeals to social workers have already been recorded. Online, they provide help and advice on leaving the town, finding open pharmacies, and helping our clients (sex workers, substance users, men who have sex with men, teenagers and families) to prevent panic in this difficult life situation. Our psychologist Irina Filenko works with those who need psychological support.
The social house, which has always been a safe place for our clients, is now ready to give them shelter. Now we are in big need of medicines, clothes, plaids, food, drinking water, personal hygiene products, etc.»
Georgiy, 28 years old, Activist of HPLGBT, Kyiv, Ukraine
“I was born and live with HIV and I was also born and live in Kyiv. Now my city is ruined. Now I can not get my HIV medication. I am afraid that I will soon become resistant and will have to change my treatment regimen, which will be detrimental to my health. Do I deserve this?
My right to health has been taken away from me today, but if you look into my eyes you will see that there is no hatred, anger or regret there, only a plea for it to stop as soon as possible. I don’t want to live in constant fear. I want to live in peace”.
