Our support to families in Ukraine: Thank you for your donations!

30 March 2023,

In the aftermath of the war escalation in Ukraine, FAFCE launched a call for donations to directly support Ukrainian families. Vincenzo Bassi, FAFCE President, stated that “as associations of European families, we feel the responsibility to support our brothers and sisters in need”. During several months, FAFCE dedicated a specific fundraising to the needs of families suffering because of the war.

The total amount of the online donations was of 8.836€ and was used to finance projects conducted by FAFCE partners, in cooperation with the local Church, and to support the participation of Ukrainian families to the FAFCE bi-annual Board Meetings.

This allowed to create ad hoc support to Ukrainian families, in cooperation with the Conference of the Roman Catholic Bishops in Ukraine. Some examples of the projects supported:

• To maintain the education of displaced children in the Catholic school in Khmelnytskiy (1000 euros)
• To provide financial assistance to families in Vinnytsia distributed by Fr Vitalij Kaszczuk (1000 euros)
• To support two families in a difficult financial situation from Polonne and Pisarivka (400 euros)
• To sponsor a large Ukrainian family coming from Spain to the father’s funeral (500 euros)
• To sponsor the medical treatment against encephalitis of a father of two in Khmelnitsky (500 euros)
• To provide financial assistance for a family in Kamieniec Podolski (100 euros)

A year later, FAFCE received a letter of Bishop Radoslaw Zmitrowicz, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Kamyanets-Podilskyi, Titular Bishop of Gypsaria, and President of the Commission for Family Pastoral Care of the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Conference. A letter that we would like to share with you all, as you supported us!

Dear FAFCE friends! 

On behalf of the Commission for Family Pastoral Care of Ukraine we would like to express our gratitude for the help during these difficult times for the families of Ukraine. It has been already a year since the war started. In this past year, Ukrainian families have experienced the hardest and most challenging trials of non-voluntary migration, resettlement, invasion, and family separation. Financial hardship fell on women’s shoulders when families were left without the help of their husbands, who are primary providers. Families were also affected by the burden of nearly destroyed critical infrastructure of Ukraine. The cost of maintaining children’s schooling and daily life necessities required a lot of parental efforts. As a result of your invaluable support, we are beyond grateful to all the members for their prayers and continuous financial assistance. Thank you for helping our women and children in crossing the border, finding a place to live, and maintaining some sort of dignified way of life. We are particularly thankful for the program “From family to family” and providing substantial support to expecting mothers who were forced to flee their homes.

Below some pictures of the programs in Ukraine and the families supported by FAFCE donations