ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVENTIST DEVELOPMENT AND RELIEF AGENCY IN EASTERN UKRAINE

Abstract

The charitable organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has been active in the conditions of the military conflict in the East of Ukraine since 2013, particularly during the difficult events on Euromaidan in the center of the capital of Ukraine. Since 2014, ADRA Ukraine has implemented more than 150 humanitarian projects in the east and throughout Ukraine. Among the largest were «Eastern Angel,» «Hands of Hope,» and «Social Transport.» Through food and non-food programs, ADRA Ukraine volunteers, together with other churches and international organizations, help people affected by the military conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In addition, ADRA Ukraine in the east and mainland of Ukraine provides psychological and material assistance to the military and immigrants from the occupied territories of Ukraine, helping to treat psychological trauma, repair various types of damage from shelling, and establish water supply in the destroyed areas. The activities of ADRA Ukraine are actively covered by the media, though with limited reach: it is usually a Protestant mass media, which narrows the potential audience, so the majority of the population does not have the opportunity to hear about the charitable deeds of this organization. The Protestant religious minority of Ukraine did not stay away from the tragic events that befell Ukraine and destroyed the lives of civilians, but continued to support through charitable organizations, such as ADRA Ukraine, to restore and facilitate the better living conditions of war victims.