Please Join Us in This War About Hope for Ukraine

A partner of Awana in the Kherson region sent us the images that accompany this post, along with this message: “Yesterday, our team managed to get 15 people out of the occupied Oleshka, 10 children of them. Thank you all for the prayer.”

This month we update you with you a message from Awana President and CEO Matt Markins. He shares what your prayers and financial contributions have provided for the kids and adults of Ukraine, and why your support is needed more than ever.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it has been devastating to Ukrainian families. To date, over 500 children have been killed, 5 million of Ukraine’s 7 million children have been displaced and the number of kids living in poverty has almost doubled from 43% to 82%.
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With such devastation prevailing, this is a war about hope. I am making an urgent appeal to you that we not forget the Awana children in Ukraine. Will you please help me lift their eyes toward hope? Not only the hope that one day this war will end, but toward the eternal and abundant hope of Jesus Christ?

When the war broke out we turned to you, our partners in the Gospel, and asked for your help. You stepped up in significant ways and resourced our 548 churches, 25,307 children and 11 Ukrainian missionary couples. Gifts of all sizes came pouring in. I’m a firm believer in donor transparency and want you to know how we used your gifts:
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• Awana Ukraine has continued to run ministries and camps across Ukraine and in neighboring countries, reaching more than 25,000 children! According to our staff and church partners on the ground, even though war paused our child discipleship efforts for a few months, today we are reaching and discipling even more children than before the war — including 33 new clubs and many children for the first time!
• Awana Ukraine has served more than 50,000 people in need since the Russian invasion. Thousands of families have received food, clothing, medicine and other essentials through our refugee center in Cherkasy, Ukraine. We’ve also delivered humanitarian aid to thousands more in war-torn cities, providing food, clothing, bedding, medicines and school supplies.
• Our teams in Ukraine and in neighboring countries (particularly Romania and Latvia) have been tireless in their efforts to care for the holistic needs of children and families caught in the crisis of war. To date, more than 75 cargo-van loads from Poland, Latvia and Romania have delivered humanitarian aid to our volunteers on the ground.
• Our team delivered care packages and drawings from children to soldiers on the front line, as well as generators to liberated citizens in Kharkiv and Kherson.
• In summary, your gifts provided 20 computers, 35 tablets, dozens of wheelchairs, mattresses, and appliances; monthly groceries for 200 widows, 500 Christmas presents to Kherson, Awana supplies for 25,000 children, more than 200 tons of humanitarian aid, and resources for 50,000 refugees.

For all these things we are grateful to God and His provisions through you.

Urgent Appeal for More Funding

For those of us in the U.S., the war in Ukraine has fallen below the fold of our news sites. What was once the lead story is now buried deeper on the page. Yet just this month a dam exploded that has displaced more than 100,000 additional Ukrainians. For our brothers and sisters in the war-torn country, the suffering and crisis remain. Will you please help us bring the hope of Jesus to the children in Ukraine today?

$1.8 Million Dollars Donated

A dollar is a sign of monetary value. When you give to Awana, you’re giving more than just a dollar; you’re also providing an opportunity for hope to take root. You send the message that, “I value this ministry. ​​Awana has made a Gospel impact on my life, and I want to make sure other kids have that same opportunity.”

Your Gift Will:

• Reach Kids with the Gospel,ensuring Child Discipleship continues to advance even in the midst of this complex challenge.
• Provide Crisis Relief, meeting practical needs for kids and families whose lives have been upended and who need ongoing support.
• Resource Missionaries and Pastors,providing the means for our 11 missionary couples to continue resourcing pastors and churches to meet real needs and minister to children and youth.

Will you join me in this battle for hope?  

Matt Markins
Awana President & CEO

Since the start of the war, we have provided weekly (at first) and now monthly updates on what our teams in and around Ukraine are doing. Please check awana.org/blog often to continue reading about what they are doing and how your financial gifts and prayers are making a difference.

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