...like thousands of others, Depaul saved Nik – in his case, we offered years of one-on-one so he could work through the trauma and grief he faced.
We are very grateful to all those who donated to support our work with those living on the streets of Ukraine – many of whom fled conflict in the east and Crimea. The appeal raised £8,258 and allowed us to remind Radio 4’s generous listeners that the conflict is still being fought. People are still dying; people are still forced to flee, leaving everything behind.
Over 1.6 million people have been displaced by the Ukraine conflict, and counting. Many end up homeless and join the tens of thousands trying to live on the street.
Depaul International is using the funds raised by our appeal to offer support right now to 10,000 people who rely on us.
Nik, forced to the street at the age of 9, is one of them. When Nik’s mother passed away, his life turned upside down. His extended family sold the house where him and his two siblings were living and took the proceeds. Grieving and young, these children were discarded to the street to fend for themselves.
To survive, Nik didn’t live on the street – he lived under it. Nik squatted in basements and manholes around Kharkiv, in the -20C winter trying to get close to the city’s heating pipes to stay warm. Nik and his brother and sister became a team. It is often a hard and long route out of homelessness. But Nik is now doing well, he has a job and volunteers at Depaul to help others.
Thanks to the generosity of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ listeners, Depaul is able to support many more like Nik. So from of all us, thank you so much.
You can find out more about the charity .