Annual Report 2025

Don’t forget the good things

Since 2001, we have been writing a review of the year at the end of each year, both to share what we have experienced and achieved together during the year, what thoughts are on our mind and what we are planning for the future, and also to follow a good biblical exhortation:

„Praise the Lord, my soul, and don’t forget what He has done for you!“ (Psalm 103:2)

Not only since I turned 50 this autumn has it been a helpful habit for me to write down my thoughts, plans and experiences. Reflecting on the good and being grateful is healthy for our hearts, especially under the special conditions in which we are living and working in the fourth year after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This annual report is the first one I have written in complete darkness. For three days now, following massive air strikes in Odesa, we have had no electricity, and in some cases no water and no heating. We often only appreciate things once we have lost them. This is also true in our case. Electricity is a great blessing and makes life much more comfortable and easier. We are grateful for the solidarity among the local population and for the courageous technicians who are working around the clock, risking their lives to repair the damage. Often, the attacks are repeated in the same place as soon as the rescue workers and technicians arrive on site, which is particularly cynical and cruel – like so much else in this war.

Children smiling despite the war

At the end of this year, we can look back on many shared experiences that brought smiles to the faces of children and young people who regularly visit our day centre. Joint trips to the dolphinarium, the cinema, parties and birthday celebrations, but also everyday life, bring a lot of joy and laughter. I think we have achieved our goal of giving children a sense of normality despite the stress we are all exposed to because of the war.

New girls and boys have found their way to us, including internally displaced people from Kherson and Bakhmut who have lost their homes due to daily shelling. Thanks to your support, we are able to fund psychotherapy and trauma counselling for affected families. We also regularly provide food, hygiene products, clothing, furniture, electrical appliances and tableware. Recently, a parent who fled the war wrote us the following message:

‘I would like to thank your organisation for your quick and important help. Clothing, food, covering the costs of my eight-yearold son’s rehabilitation – all of this is priceless. I would like to thank your staff. They have the gift of creating a safe and enjoyable place where my son feels comfortable. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy moments of relaxation in your lounge area with a nice cup of coffee.’

The Ukrainian educational system is facing significant challenges, and children from socially disadvantaged families in particular are at risk of missing large parts of the curriculum due to reduced classroom teaching as a result of air raid alerts. Our staff and young volunteers are working hard to teach primary school children to read and write, and the English lessons we are offering twice a week in four small groups this year are also beginning to bear fruit. In addition, many of our young people have learned to cook delicious lunches for more than 20 people, which boosts their self-confidence. Our day centre continues to be a place of relaxation, learning and laughter.

Moments of joy and encouragement

All people living in Ukraine are suffering in one way or another from the consequences of the war. Nevertheless, I am deeply moved by the situation of elderly people who, after enduring the Second World War as children, are now once again under daily threat. Many of their younger relatives, such as children and grandchildren, have gone abroad, leaving their parents and grandparents behind. Others simply have no one left to care for them. I am delighted that our teenagers are happy to carry water canisters up to the sixteenth floor, distribute gifts or join our children in holding a Christmas service with a nativity play on the third Sunday of Advent. It is encouraging to see the next generation getting involved and caring for the elderly with kindness and respect. Another group of people who are becoming increasingly visible in everyday life are the many seriously injured soldiers returning from war with severe physical disabilities – not to mention psychological trauma. We consider it a privilege that, thanks to your financial donations, we are able to pay for important rehabilitation measures for some war veterans. This is a great encouragement for their partners, children and parents. We have also been able to make life a little easier for other people with disabilities by providing them with assistive devices and wheelchairs. Many thanks to all who have donated. Since we started operating at our new location in Bobrik, a lot has changed for the better in this small town northwest of Odesa. Among other things, we were able to donate furniture from Germany to the school and kindergarten and organise a large clothing distribution campaign, during which 75 families were able to choose from donated items. We were also able to bring joy to more than 100 children at Christmas 2024 and again this year with gifts packed by friends in Germany and Luxembourg. Food was also distributed to lonely people. Thank you!

We were able to continue providing assistance to our partner organisation at the front in 2025. Unfortunately, they had to flee from Kostyantinivka to Kramatorsk because life there was no longer bearable. We regularly send relief supplies to the East by post (which still works excellently and delivers parcels within 30 hours). In addition, we sent 28 Christmas parcels to the few children who still live in the frontline areas.

For the fourth year running, the volunteers at our German association have been supporting Ukrainian refugees with visits to the authorities, doctor’s appointments, job searching and school and vocational training tasks. Two humanitarian aid convoys also made their way from Annaberg to Odesa. Many thanks to all our volunteers!

For 2026, we are committed to continuing our work, supporting children, young people and their families, and spreading hope and encouragement in our communities – both urban and rural – by God’s grace. We continue to pray for the return of missing family members and comfort for those who have lost loved ones and friends, for those who are lonely and desperate, for all who are afraid and worried.

A heartfelt thanks to every employee, volunteer, prayer partner and financial supporter who has walked with us through 2025. Your help is a source of great encouragement to us.

We wish you and ourselves a Merry Christmas and God’s protection and blessing in the New Year.
And we hope that our greatest wish for peace and freedom for Ukraine will be fulfilled in 2026.

The Living Hope team in Ukraine and Germany