BRITISH HUMANITARIAN AID
“Together we can help”
Mission Statement
It is the mission of British Humanitarian Aid (BHA) to actively seek and prompt
monetary and material donations in order to ease the suffering of people in Chernihiv
Region, Ukraine, where the collapse of The Soviet Union, and the disaster at Chernobyl,
have led to the impoverishment of families, and to cancer and sickness in both children
and adults. No donated goods are re-
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British Humanitarian Aid started their work in Ukraine in 1996, alongside the convoys of humanitarian aid that they were running to Romania and The Balkans. Since 2000, all BHA’s efforts have been directed towards alleviating some of the hardship, for the poor and handicapped, in the Chernihiv Region of Ukraine.
Although there are problems in Ukraine relating to the catastrophic explosion, 25 years ago of the nuclear reactor at Chornobyl, these pale into insignificance in light of the economic disaster that arrived with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The current government, of whom 200 deputies are millionaires, seems to be more interested in looking after their own interests than those of the country.
In Chernihiv Region, a predominantly agricultural area, the state farms were just handed back to the villagers who had no possibility of running them effectively, as they had no money to invest in them. A few survive, just, but as you drive through the region you pass many more that are deserted and decaying. Investment is desperately needed but while the government remains unstable few from outside the country are prepared to take the risk.
The loss of their work and thus the ability of men to provide for their family has led to a loss of dignity. Many men have just left Ukraine and too many have sought solace from a bottle. Unemployment, in several of the districts we serve, exceeds 80%. Conditions for many of those who live in the villages are scarcely better than they were 100 years ago. However, many who now live in the towns, consider that those who live in villages are better off, as they can at least tend their animals and grow crops. If you visit Chernihiv, and stroll round the town as a tourist, you have to look closely to see the signs of poverty as most are hidden. However, if you can once get past the superficial, you can find heartbreaking need and hardship.
Our efforts are directed through the Aratta Organisations that
we have helped to set up and maintain. The main centre in
Chernihiv, as well as offering advice and support to the needy,
runs a wide range of activities for both adults and children. A
full time team, effectively employed by BHA, copes brilliantly
with the customs formalities, allocation and distribution of the
aid.
Chernihiv city and the villages in its district are both served by this centre.
The districts of Gorodnya, Shchors and Mena (our centre at Makosheno) have their own Aratta branches that run activities and also distribute aid throughout the villages in their districts. In many other districts we work closely with the social services and in one we distribute aid via the education authority. We have bought two of these centres and rent the third and all are in the process of being repaired and refurbished by enthusiastic volunteers. One of the main aims of an “Aratta” being to persuade people who receive help to make a contribution to others in return. Many who started off by seeking help, through their work at the Aratta’s, have discovered a dignity and purpose to their life that they had given up hope of finding.
In addition to this work, we are in touch with all the Internats (state boarding schools that cope with orphans, children in care and economic orphans) providing clothing, shoes, bedding, sports equipment, educational materials, furniture and paint and wallpaper as available. In some, we have been able to cope with specific requests for cookers, fridges and washing machines and we have been able to help with renovations to washing and toilet facilities. Music schools and sports organisations that work for the benefit of children regularly receive whatever items we can obtain for them
Two children’s hospitals at Zamgli and Nizhin, two foster homes in Chernihiv and Nizhin and two homes for very young children at Priluki are also supported, along with two homes for the elderly, several hospitals, a couple of prisons and two rehabilitation centres. Where we can, we also support some state schools, especially those in the villages. Those institutions that have modernised themselves have only done so by seeking sponsors as their only income is the salaries for their workers.
BHA basically recycles unwanted goods from the UK to Ukraine. We depend entirely upon our loyal supporters for both monetary and material donations. Goods are collected at, or delivered to, our warehouse at Canterbury. There, volunteers sort and pack the aid in boxes kindly provided by Noel Tatt Cards. Normally, Polish lorries are then hired to deliver the aid to Ukraine but, just recently, we have been fortunate to receive help from Gist who have provided several free lorries for us. In 2004/5, on a working income of approximately £40,000 we managed to deliver over 100 tonnes of aid with a “charity shop” value of £300,000.
Our directors are happy to come and talk to groups who are interested in the work
and we now have an audio-
