“The war taught us to value the most precious thing – life,” says Nadiia, an internally displaced person who settled in the Poltava region after the start of the full-scale invasion

Nadiia’s family is from #Kharkiv. On 24 February 2022, they woke up to the sound of explosions. To escape, the family first took their four-legged pets—Shura, the cat, and Pifas, the dog—along with the most essential items and went down to the basement. They had to stay there for some time, as they could not leave their district. After giving it much thought, they made the difficult decision to leave, walking through areas that were shelled daily. They managed to escape the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv, and friends helped them reach Krasnyi Kut and, eventually, Dykanka. The family now lives there.

The lack of a permanent home, stable income, and a job makes life difficult for the family. Pet food is a necessary monthly expense, and it is becoming increasingly costly for Nadiia. So, she turned to the local branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross for help, which, in cooperation with Humane Society International, provides pet food to internally displaced persons. This assistance helps the family by reducing the cost of food and parasite prevention for their four-legged friends.

We stand by those in need.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Red Cross, in collaboration with the animal protection organisation HSI Europe, has been providing consistent assistance to pets whose owners have fled their homes due to the war. The project operates in 16 regions of Ukraine. Thanks to our joint efforts, 60,704 packs of pet food (totalling 243,752 kg of dry food) have already been distributed, including 1,200 packs (7,100 kg) in the Poltava region.