RE:ACT Responder Reports on her Mission to the Heart of Ukraine

Waking up on the sleeper train from Lviv, RE:ACT responder Susannah Pencovich gazed out at the wide, choppy azure mass of Ukraine’s Dnipro River with a mixture of wonder and fear.

She started 2022 with a lengthy real-life planes, trains, and automobile journey from Glasgow to Chilmark to take part in a Domestic Responder Course and was now finishing in mid-December with a mission to the heart of war-torn Ukraine, 1700 miles away.

Susannah, a solicitor, had joined up with our International Operations Manager Paul Taylor and another senior responder, David Harrington, to visit the sprawling city of Dnipro to see how our latest project, to provide hot food to displaced people fleeing the conflict zones, was progressing.

The journey confirmed in Susannah’s mind just how important the RE:ACT training courses had been in preparing her for such a complex and taxing mission.

This was her first visit to a war zone, and she wasn’t sure how she would react.

“I have no military background and when one night we heard air-raid sirens and missiles overhead I expected to be terrified.  It was surreal, but instead of fear, I felt anger that innocent people were being subjected to this kind of terror,” explained Susannah.

“I had of course chosen to be there, and my situation was only temporary. I knew I could leave, and I knew my loved ones were safe at home, thousands of miles away. Sadly, this was not the situation for many  Ukrainians,” she added.

Susannah said every part of the Domestic and International Responder courses, followed by the Operational Leadership course had been essential in helping her to prepare for the journey to the far eastern corner of Europe.

“I appreciate just how well the training programmes reflect the reality of moving around and maintaining communication in complex environments, and how that in turn facilitates the achievement of RE:ACT’s humanitarian team objectives.”

She added: “I’ve experienced the Operations Team as diligent planners, subject matter experts and excellent communicators. The leadership is second to none.  I must also mention the volunteer responders who give up their time and energy to assist as mentors and logisticians. They are an absolute credit to themselves, to RE:ACT and to the wider Humanitarian ecosystem.”

Although she was perfectly prepared for the mission, Susannah said it had still been a “huge challenge” to visit Ukraine.

“That first view of the Dnipro River from the train brought the journey into sharp focus. It’s now famous because it’s been seen on so many news bulletins. It’s truly the physical manifestation of the Ukraine/Russia divide. It was very meaningful to see it in person,” explained Susannah.

Once the team had arrived in Dnipro itself, they went straight to work checking in with our partners, the Ukrainian Education Platform (UEP) whose volunteers are delivering the hot meals’ programme in the city.

“We visited the food production facility first which was immaculate, hygienic, and very  well organised. They were so conscious of the food staying hot and told us their insulated travel boxes only lose one degree every hour!”

Susannah continued:  “They let us try the Borscht (Ukrainian beetroot and beef soup) that forms a substantial part of the hot food distribution that RE:ACT donors and sponsors are funding. It’s tasty, but most importantly - for Ukrainians fleeing their homes -  it’s hot and comforting, and it’s provided by kind and friendly local helpers as soon as these displaced people arrive in this unfamiliar city.”

From there the team went to the Dnipro Women and Children’s shelter – run by UEP local partner Globa 22.

“At the shelter they try to temporarily house people with others from the same town or region – this helps with family reunification, provides comfort and also connections that might help evacuees  find paying jobs across the country,” explained Susannah.

“The building is repurposed – whilst some of it is derelict, the shelter wing is clean, tidy and there’s a feeling of calmness. Volunteers have helped to renovate the rooms, and as a lovely touch, they placed single flowers in colourful little vases on the tables in the kitchen. The big windows provide lots of natural light.”

Susannah said they had been told the city’s population had swollen by 20% , with the influx of more than 200,000 displaced people.

“They call the new arrivals ‘new citizens’ rather than IDPs (Internally Displaced People) because they believe it’s more respectful and welcoming,” she pointed out.

Susannah said those new citizens faced difficult choices right from the beginning of their journey.

“People have evacuated from on, or near, the front lines, but once they reach the comparative safety of Dnipro there are decisions to make. Should they stay there or continue West to quieter parts of the country and re-start their lives?  They need jobs and they need money, but work is scarce.”

“Intermittent power means no factories operating, minimal shops open, public-sector buildings closed, so of course there is a huge economic downturn, and children need to get back into school. Most have already lost two years due to the Covid pandemic and Globa 22 told me that there are many eight and nine-year-olds who can hardly read,” she added.

The second place where RE:ACT funds hot food distribution is the Dnipro Ocean for Good Elderly and Disabled centre .

“When we visited, the elderly people were sitting in the dark, but still said they were very thankful for the building and services they were provided with. One elderly lady had lost her son who died fighting on the frontlines. She was so grateful to us that she asked to give Paul a big hug. Of course, he was happy to oblige, and very touched to have been asked to do it.”

Back at Dnipro’s main railway station, a supermarket has been repurposed into an overnight shelter and an empty commercial unit into a baby and children’s room.

“There’s no privacy and tinny supermarket music plays across the sleeping area. The lighting is stark, with industrial LEDs.  The nearby fried chicken restaurant lets people use their toilets and there are no showers. There is a “Blitz” feeling to the scenes we encountered.” Said Susannah.

Visions of a modern-day Blitz were enhanced by the screeching noise of missiles overhead one night, added Susannah.

“We could hear them very clearly. A deep, hollow noise of aircraft. This being a war in a technologically advanced era, air-raid warnings now come on a mobile phone app via the Telegram Ukraine Air Alert. There are also physical sirens outside, but they were very faint,” continued Susannah.

She said the app had warned them to take shelter and civilians, along with hotel residents, moved into the hotel’s bunker until the all-clear notice  was received on their phones. They learned later there were around eight missiles and all had been shot down by the Ukrainian air defences.

Despite the obvious dangers and challenges of the Ukraine mission, Susannah said it had been “incredibly rewarding.”

She added: “I’m proud, and very lucky, to be a small part of the much bigger RE:ACT family.”