A group of families with children with Down Syndrome and other developmental conditions living in Ukraine have used funds raised by the BEARR Trust to help local children with disabilities and refugees currently sheltering in their town. These families are experiencing many difficulties at present. They told us “We bought  food, medicines and  hygiene products …

(photo – at the Falești refugee centre) Jane and Megan continue: There is still snow and no signs of spring to be seen as we drive through the Moldovan countryside to visit a care home with spare beds ready for any older refugees in need. Having got an idea of what is happening to refugees …

A partner organisation in western Ukraine has been organising temporary shelter for those fleeing fighting further east.  Thanks to premises offered by a local business they are able to offer a place of safety after a long, difficult and dangerous journey.  Typically families, in many cases just women with children, stay 1-2 nights, which allows them to …

Despite the dangerous conditions partner organisations are continuing to distribute food, medicines, nappies, bedding and other supplies in Ukraine, funded by donations to the BEARR appeal. Many people have had to flee from their homes or are unable to get out to buy supplies. Some of the people in need are internally displaced, having fled …

 Chişinău – Palanca – Bălți Two weeks into this war, the atmosphere in Moldova seems very calm.  Everything is well organised, shops are fully stocked (although there are mutterings about salt, soap and cereals disappearing) and everyone is going about their normal business.   Petrol prices shot up last week though from 23 – 28 lei overnight. We got up …

Day One – Iaşi to Chişinău We decided to come to Moldova for a variety of reasons, some of them slightly selfish (because we found it impossible to sit in comfort in the UK and engage with everyday life) some of them less so (because we both speak Russian, have worked here for years and …

Our partners in central Ukraine bought mattresses, pillows and bedlinen for orphanages and educational institutions which have rearranged their facilities to take in refugees and displaced persons from cities under bombardment in other parts of Ukraine. The partners said “thank you, The BEARR Trust, for your assistance in the difficult times, we thank all the …

BEARR was able to provide aid from the very beginning of the crisis.  A partner organisation in Moldova was able to provide bedding, towels and meals to some of the very first to cross the border, many of whom had fled without any baggage.  Our partners have said that BEARR’s assistance was especially important at the initial …

In Eastern Ukraine a partner organisation has been co-ordinating deliveries of medicines and hygiene supplies  to IDPs (internally displaced persons) in towns and cities across the region that have come under heavy fire. As medicines run out in these towns such aid is indispensable. The organisation is having to constantly change how it operates due to the rapidly …