What’s Happening to People With Disabilities in War-Torn Ukraine?
March 24th marks a full month of war in Ukraine.
Amid this crisis, Joni and Friends has committed to working with our in-country partners in Ukraine and surrounding countries to rescue and care for people with disabilities and their families who too often bear the brunt of the trauma caused by violent conflict.
But we can’t do this work alone. Neither can our partners who daily sacrifice their safety and comfort to act as God’s hands and feet in Ukraine and neighboring nations.
A Message from Galyna, our In-Country Coordinator in Ukraine:
Dearest Friends,
My dear country that I wholeheartedly love is being ruined more and more every day.
We have evacuated another group of people with disabilities and their families to safety across the border. Most of them came from Brovary and Bucha, Kyiv region, where the fighting is intense. Their escape was truly a miracle.
When the latest caravan reached the Netherlands, our partners receiving them had baked a cake with a message written on it: “Welcome to the Netherlands! You’re safe with us.”
How strongly I wish Ukraine would become safe again!
Sadly, safety seems like a far-fetched wish right now as Russian troops destroy hospitals, schools, churches, cultural landmarks, and ordinary blocks of apartments. They are shooting at civilians who are trying to get evacuated from the “hot” places. They do not let humanitarian aid be received by people in many cities of Ukraine.
Russian forces have destroyed about 90% of the buildings in Mariupol and killed many civilians in that city alone! They even bombed a theater despite knowing that children and women were taking shelter there. Praise God that the walls of the building were strong enough to protect at least some of those inside.
Seeing all this devastation day after day for weeks makes me want to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fight. Three things stop me from doing it:
- More people with disabilities need to be evacuated to safe places.
- My own physical weakness; I don’t want to become a burden or cause a problem for the soldiers who have to fight.
- My Dad…
I am not alone in my desire to fight. Many men and women of different ages want to do the same. Some days ago, an 11-year-old boy from Kyiv ran away from his mom, came to the Territorial Defense Unit, and asked if he could join them.
Ukraine is united by three things now: love for our country, desire to save our freedom, and determination to stand against Russian oppression.
I confess that I am angry—at Putin, at Russian troops committing acts of violence, at Russians who might have the power to change their country’s course, but instead remain silent.
In this crisis, what does it mean to love our enemies?
I know that it does not mean standing by passive and silent as Russian forces kill more Ukrainian children, elderly people, and people with disabilities. These acts of violence harm those who carry them out as well as the victims.
Do you know what the worst outcome is for the Russian troops, leaders aligned with Putin, and others who support him? It’s to remain blind to the evil they commit—to miss the chance to stop, turn, and repent. And so I pray that the scales fall from their eyes and hearts—that they would stop their attacks and violence.
And now, I need your prayers.
Pray that the Lord help us wake each morning ready to do his will. Pray for protection from shelling and bombing as we work. Join me in asking God for a miracle in Ukraine, that we might repeat the words of 2 Corinthians 1:8-11:
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”
With love in Christ,
Galyna
At the outset of the war, more than 2.7 million Ukrainians reported living with disabilities.
By the time the war ends, that number will be much higher—and needs multiplied.
Together, we can bring every need of Ukraine’s people, especially those with disabilities, to the foot of God’s throne. We can hold these people up before our powerful Savior, and rise up to bring his healing, grace, and peace to the people who need it the most.
