The European Baptist Federation (EBF) has reached 480,000 people as part of its appeal to bring warmth, hope and community during the winter months in Ukraine. 

A total of €800,000 (£682,000) has been raised through the Hope Heats Ukraine campaign, with support from the Slavic Gospel Association. 

This has enabled around 400 churches and Christian institutions across the country with warm aid points, practical assistance during power outages, humanitarian aid, and the provision of psychological and spiritual support to those affected by the war. This has been a lifeline for Ukrainians during the winter months, as Russia continued to target energy infrastructure. 

The campaign has also supported children’s clubs and Bible studies, while building relationships between Ukrainian and partner churches committed to praying for them. 

Iryna, who was displaced from eastern Ukraine with her children, told the EBF: “We came to the church for our daily bread, and we also found spiritual bread. We were accepted as family.”

She also found comfort in the church after her husband was killed, now continuing to help others who have been bereaved. 

In the Kherson region, Ruslan directs a sports school for children with disabilities. His home has been destroyed three times by shelling, but he said that his family has “the opportunity to be in a warm room of the church, where there is a generator and you can charge phones or lanterns and collect boiling water. We feel that we are not left alone with our problems.”