Visiting the Bucha Region

While visiting the Bucha region, we saw trenches that had been used as 5,000 Russian soldiers had occupied Zdvyzhivka, a village of about 1,100 people. The Russian word for children was painted on the gates of homes in hopes the Russian soldiers would not attack. We were not told how many war crimes were perpetuated in this village as the crimes are still under investigation and details are not being made public.

The Buchansky center of primary medical and sanitary care received a spirography computer system that tests lung capacity thanks to our generous donors and grant funding from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. We were told that as a village where war crimes occurred the international media came and visited and heard what the need requests were in the village. Yet, we were told we were the only nonprofit that fulfilled a request for help purchasing medical equipment after Russian soldiers looted the family practice clinic. As a token of gratitude we were given a hollowed out Russian missile shell that had been painted by a local artist, a beautiful symbol of redemption.