The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Lviv Chamber of Agriculture, continues to implement the Institutional Food Programme in the Lviv and Ternopil regions.
This initiative provides invaluable support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and helps them to socialise and adapt to their new circumstances. This is evidenced by the stories of our beneficiaries and team members, who work every day to ensure assistance reaches those most in need.
One striking example of the Programme’s successful implementation is the involvement of the charity organisation ‘Kyivshchyna Futbolna’, which works with children who have been forced to leave their homes due to military action. They also host a significant number of children from eastern regions and frontline towns and villages during the summer holidays. In a quiet town near Morshyn, children are given the opportunity not only to play their favourite sport but also to take a break from the constant stress of war. Thanks to the Programme, they have access to nutritious food, which is a vital factor for their physical and emotional well-being. The organisation currently cares for nearly 200 children.
The ‘Rovesnyk’ health and rehabilitation centre, which began accepting IDPs on 25 February, is also a participant in the Programme. Since the start of the war, around 1,200 people have found refuge here, and today 85 people live in the complex. Support from various organisations, which was active at the start of the war, has diminished over time, but thanks to the Institutional Food Programme, the complex’s residents continue to receive the necessary food and support.
Every month, our team delivers over 5 tonnes of food to the modular settlement in Sykhiv, which is the largest in Lviv. Almost a thousand internally displaced persons – adults and children – live here. This temporary shelter was established on a plot of land belonging to the Congregation of the Salesian Fathers of St John Bosco, UGCC. Church representatives have expressed a desire to take the settlement under their care, providing material and moral support to its residents. The religious congregation prepares hot meals for 930 people every day.
For the members of the Lviv Agrarian Chamber team, this programme has become not only a professional challenge but also an opportunity to demonstrate their humanity and compassion. Every day they meet people who have endured difficult life circumstances and try to do everything possible to ensure these people feel supported and cared for.
When you see the smiles of children who, thanks to our programme, can play football and forget the horrors of war, at least for a little while, you realise that our work has real meaning
The institutional food programme is more than just food aid. It is a demonstration of solidarity and support that gives people hope and helps them adapt to new circumstances. We, the team at the Lviv Agrarian Chamber, proudly continue our work, knowing that every day brings warmth and care to those who need it. We are together – and that is our strength.
Source: Lviv Agrarian Chamber