10 social service centers and residential care facilities in the Kyiv region – home to more than 2,000 people, including elderly residents, people with disabilities, and individuals with limited mobility received nearly 100 gas heaters.

This is also a story about quick help and flexibility, especially when things don’t go as planned.

In January, Ukraine2Power launched an emergency campaign to support residents of Kyiv who were left without heat and electricity after Russian attacks on the energy system. We packed and delivered heating emergency kits and continued doing so throughout the month.

At the same time, we were asked to procure around 100 gas heaters for elderly and ill people. Due to high demand, prices in Ukraine were extremely high, and the heaters had to meet strict safety requirements. We identified suitable equipment, ordered it from the EU, secured the purchase, and waited for delivery.

However, once the heaters arrived, we faced an unexpected challenge. They had to undergo an additional safety check, EU standards were not considered sufficient. We fully understand this, as using such heaters comes with significant responsibility.

The results confirmed that the heaters are safe, but only for use in larger spaces, rooms bigger than 60 square meters. This meant we had to quickly rethink our distribution plan.

🤝 In situations like this, strong partnerships are essential. Together with the Department of Social Protection of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, led by Director Ihor Meshchan, we identified 10 suitable social service centers and residential care facilities. Some of them consist of multiple buildings and host many people in urgent need.

Our Deputy Director, Viktoriia Mamoilyk, joined the distribution at one of the facilities in Bila Tserkva, where she spoke with residents and learned about their daily challenges firsthand.

💙💛 People are deeply grateful for all the support and donations that made this possible. And we are glad that we could bring more warmth to those who need it most, helping them stay warm during the remaining cold days of this season and in the winters ahead.

What matters most is that this support reached the right people, even if it took a longer path than we wanted.