The team working on the flooring in Olha’s Irpin apartment.
A team of volunteers from Inverness have been helping families in war-torn Ukraine rebuild homes damaged by the fighting.
The group of volunteers, who have now returned to Scotland, were organised by Simeon Ewing, who leads Inverness-based charity Children’s Ministry Ukraine.
During their trip the volunteers travelled to the Kyiv region in central Ukraine where they laid insulation and flooring in damaged homes, helped with construction, and presented 12 Chromebooks, donated by Inverness-based Community Interest Company Highlands Innovation (www.highlands-innovation.uk), to local schoolchildren.
Among the homes they worked on was that of a woman whose life has twice been torn apart by the conflict.
Olha’s husband was killed during Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, forcing her to flee west. Over the next eight years, she restored an apartment so she could begin life again in Irpin. However, just two days before she was due to move in, the full-scale invasion began and the apartment was destroyed in bombing.
Olha meets the team.
For the Inverness volunteers, helping restore her home carried particular significance.
Simeon Ewing, who has made five trips to Ukraine since 2022, said: “Every time I come back I’m struck by the resilience of ordinary Ukrainians.
“For the team working on that apartment, knowing what she’d already been through made the work feel especially meaningful.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the team who gave up their time to travel such a long way to help. They made a real difference, and I know the experience will stay with them for many years.”
English teacher Leah and students with some of the new laptops.
The Christian charity, Children’s Ministry Ukraine, was established in 2008 when Simeon and wife Joanna were based in Ukraine. The group now organises trips every year, combining practical rebuilding work with humanitarian aid and school and orphanage visits. To find out more or support the work, contact simeon.ewing@gmail.com. Children’s Ministry Ukraine can be found on Facebook.
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