MILWAUKEE, May 9, 2023 /CNW/
Entire cities in Ukraine have been destroyed, displacing more than 14 million residents from their homes, schools, and livelihoods for the past year.
Since the early days of the war, Milwaukee-based nonprofit Friends of Be an Angel has made extraordinary efforts in assisting hospitals, daycare centers, Internally Displaced Persons’ centers, community centers, and religious establishments across Ukraine. Additionally, support services were offered to thousands of refugees who were forced to flee their homeland.
In response to the attacks on critical Ukrainian electrical power infrastructure, Friends of Be an Angel led an effort to deliver more than 1,700 generators this winter, totaling a market value of 2.2 million USD to Ukrainian hospitals, refugee centers, first responders, and other critical locations.
In total, more than 8,017 kilowatts of energy are being provided for critical infrastructure powering lights, medical facilities, and heating devices in homes and community centers.
The project was initiated in August 2022 in anticipation of the energy crisis in the winter months. Friends of Be an Angel formed a coalition with other NGOs and donors to work together to be able to obtain high-quality generators at wholesale prices.
Beginning in late September 2022, the critical infrastructures in Ukraine were attacked. Over the course of several months, Russian missiles damaged all thermal power plants, most of the combined heat and power plants, and all hydroelectric plants. Hospitals, refugee centers and homes lost power, heat, and access to water overnight.
This resulted in a dire need for non-grid energy sources such as generators, causing shortages, and driving the prices of generators to unaffordable levels for Ukrainians who were already struggling in the war-torn economy.
The generators were distributed to more than 150 hospitals and medical clinics, 80 warming stations, 478 refugee centers, 231 community centers and religious institutions, 238 disadvantaged families with disabilities and medical needs requiring power, 15 orphanages, and 34 schools were given generators to continue their life-sustaining operation.
The remaining generators were distributed to frontline medics and rescue operations. An estimated total of 20,475 people have been directly impacted by this initiative.
Our gratitude goes out to Women’s Movement for the Future, Rotary Clubs across Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Ukraine TrustChain, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, Project Kesher, White Stork, Landbell Group, Daar Foundation, House of Ukraine, Create an Impact Charitable Foundation, Vilni Liudy, Berlin to Borders, Project Aid & Rescue, World of Connections, Blau-Gelbes Kreuz Deutsch-Ukrainischer Verein e.V, The Small Projects Fund, Ukrainian Medical Association of North America, Liberty Ukraine Foundation, Mountain Seed Project, LNOB Civilfleet Support e.V, Historical Cultural Center in Uman, Adam Carmel, Igor Turin, and Ukraine Freedom Project.