Kyrlyo lives with his mother Oksana and his siblings Oleg and Anna in a dilapidated house provided for refugees in Western Ukraine, after their hometown in Donbas was left in ruins by the war. The house, which they share with two other families, is in a state of disrepair, with broken windows, crumbling plaster, damp and mould.

The situation for the family became desperate. Simply surviving day to day became an ongoing, stressful challenge. Battling poverty, trauma, loss, and struggling to integrate into a new community, Mission Without Borders stepped in to help, providing regular support to displaced families in the region.

This includes monthly deliveries of food and hygiene parcels as well as much wider support, as our staff worker who works with the family, Sergiy, explains: “Since the beginning of the war, we’ve gained considerable experience helping refugees. The need and grief run very deep and requires an extended period of healing. There is a deep trauma, and we pay a lot of attention to emotional and spiritual support.”

Operation Christmas Love is a really important part of this work. It is a strong, helping, hand to keep the weary from falling during the bleakest time of the year. In Sergiy’s words: “The message that we want to convey this Christmas is: ‘We see you; we see the suffering you’re enduring, and we want to be around to bring you relief.”

Receiving an Operation Christmas Love box was like a miracle for Kyrlyo’s family last year. “This Christmas, the story of Christ’s birth was not simply about a historical event but about a hope that people received. The hope for help and salvation,” explained Oksana. It genuinely transformed their Christmas, giving them the chance to have a festive Christmas celebration together full of good food and joyful memories.

This Christmas, Mission Without Borders is committed to relieving the suffering of the poor and marginalised and sharing the hope found in Jesus Christ. We want to raise funds to deliver thousands of Operation Christmas Love boxes across six countries in Eastern Europe. It’s a huge number, but people are in desperate need.

We want to help families like Kyrlyo’s as well as many other families in need across the region. “We don’t know what will happen tomorrow” one family told us. “Children are the ones who pay the highest price as they can’t defend themselves or escape. People are tired of being afraid.”

Please respond today. This crisis means we need to deliver boxes by the beginning of December. We won’t be able to do it without your help.

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