Two Western Cape residents are doing their bit to assist helpless Ukrainians as well as animals affected by the conflict in that country.
Nataliya Venter is a Ukrainian married to a South African from Mossel Bay while Marc Ward runs an animal sanctuary in Bonnievale. They both spoke to SABC News about the work they’re doing there amidst the conflict.
Despite the ravages of the conflict, these two Western Cape residents are assisting people and animals in Ukraine. Venter has been in Ukraine since late last year after going there to visit her family. Her husband planned to join her later but then the conflict broke out. She’s now assisting the humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers.
Venter says people are suffering. “What can I say to you about the situation in my country…it is horrible. It is really horrible. The Russian military is continuing to bomb my city and my country. A lot of cities and a lot of villages are without electricity and water. People are struggling without food and medicine. A lot of families are homeless, they’re separated and a lot of children are orphans. We need help. We really need help,” Venter explains.
Along with Venter, the Gift of the Givers also has volunteers working with them. They’ve sourced food, clothing and medical supplies which are then distributed.
“To have Natalia Venter leading the intervention inside the country, organising other fellow Ukrainians in different cities has been an incredible experience. Step by step we moved into critical cities and into hotspots. As we carried on distribution we got partnered by smart angels, who are getting assistance from Europe who donated fuel, to fund those trucks coming from Europe and to move the vehicles from Ukrainian border all over Ukraine,” says Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman from the Gift of the Givers.
Animal lover, Marc Ward has been in Ukraine since last month. He’s already encountered hundreds of dead animals abandoned at shelters. Ward says their team of volunteers is in desperate need of assistance for the animals.
“These dogs come from a shelter that was abandoned and this is one of the dogs that we rescued. They are in desperate need of medical attention, and we need to try and help them as much as we can. It’s a big struggle in Ukraine, trying to help everybody but we try our very best. Us South Africans, we love our animals very much and our whole task over here is to try and save as many animals as we possibly can,” says Ward.
They both appealed to South Africans to help in any way that they can as the fighting continues.
