By Hanna Trepaliuk | Project Leader
Electricity returns to many Ukrainian homes for just three-four hours a day, and not every day. For the rest of the time, families sit in darkness and cold, without heating or hot water, and are often unable to cook a hot meal. At times, emergency outages last several days in a row.
The reason is Russia’s regular strikes against Ukraine’s energy system and residential areas. Ukraine’s Minister of Energy has stated that there is now not a single power plant in the country that has not been attacked.
Russian forces are striking the power system during the coldest part of the year. In Kyiv, temperatures fall to -20°C. The Odesa region is also experiencing one of its coldest winters in recent years.
Those most at risk are infants and older people. Prolonged exposure to indoor temperatures of around 10°C significantly increases the risk of hypothermia.
And it is not only electricity. In many buildings, when the power goes out, heating, hot water, and internet access often fail at the same time. Refrigerators, convectors and electric cookers stop working.
Official update as of 19 January 2026: Following an overnight Russian drone attack, the Odesa region reported damage to residential, energy, and gas infrastructure. As a result, 30,800 residents were left without electricity.
These outages in the Odesa region have persisted for about a month. After the December attacks, households were left without power for weeks at a time, and disruptions have continued in waves.
Many families and older people living alone, already exhausted by the fourth year of war, cannot afford costly devices that would make prolonged blackouts even marginally more bearable.
It is therefore essential to provide practical items that help people cope with extended outages.
What your donation will fund:
1) “Light + Warmth” kits for the most vulnerable families
We will purchase and rapidly distribute essential items to low-income households with elderly and kids:
- flashlights, batteries and rechargeable lamps - 20-30$
- power banks and charging solutions - 40-1000$
- portable gas burners/stoves and consumables - 30-50$
- warm blankets, heating pads and warm clothing - 20-50$
- thermos flasks - 20$
2) An Emergency Point during blackouts, A place where, during outages, people can: warm up, charge essential devices, including prosthetics, access water and basic support,
Smaller donations provide immediate, practical support,
Larger donations allow us to act quickly and at scale:
$1,000: big winter kits for 35 people
$5,000: power stations for 5 low-income families with kids
Help brave Ukrainian people to survive!
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By Hanna Trepaliuk | Project Leader
By Hanna Trepaliuk | Project Leader
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