Funds sought to buy stoves for those in war-torn Ukraine

Local businessman and Austrian Honorary Consul Martin Richter is raising funds to buy stoves to help Ukrainians survive the bitter eastern European winter in the war-torn country.

Temperatures in Ukraine, which have already started dropping, can fall as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter months and repeated attacks by Russia on the country’s heating and electricity infrastructure has left many without power.

With supplies low and many buildings damaged after more than four years of active war, many families are facing a desperate struggle to stay warm.

New appeal

In cooperation with Rotary Club Kharkiv International, the new humanitarian appeal is calling on the people and businesses of the Cayman Islands to help provide heating stoves to families affected by the war.

The Warm Winter project has already supplied more than 1,000 stoves to Ukraine and provides a way to stay warm, cook food and heat water when electricity is unavailable or heating systems are not working. Each stove costs $100, which covers the cost of materials, manufacturing, and delivery and Richter is hoping to raise enough funds to buy at least 30 stoves.

The initiative follows the success of last year’s appeal, also led by Richter and supported by Rotary Club Sunrise Cayman Islands, which helped deliver 160 laptops to children affected by the war. The Cayman Islands achieved the highest number of laptops donated per capita worldwide, demonstrating the impact a small community can have on a humanitarian cause.

Richter, who has travelled to Ukraine many times to see the impact of the war for himself, is optimistic about meeting his target of raising enough funds to buy at least 30 stoves. 

Forgotten war

“Every donation matters,” he said. “The war is still going on and things are getting worse and worse because it has already been going on for so long. It’s becoming the forgotten war because it’s not on the front pages anymore, but the situation is desperate with no end in sight.”

Richter said that it was hard to comprehend the extent of the devastation caused by the war. “I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t been affected, who doesn’t have a family member or friend killed, or missing, or injured, or a prisoner of war,” he said. “Everyone has a story to tell, it’s overwhelming. And the bombardment is relentless. It’s incredible that poeple have to live like this.”

To support the Warm Winter campaign, contact Martin Richter on 916-6688.