#SURVIVEUKRAINE ⟩ If you know the Ukrainian Christmas song «Carol of the Bells» then donate and help Ukranians survive the winter

«Carol of the Bells» is one of the most famous Christmas carols in the world. What is less known is that the song originates from Ukraine and is called «Shchedryk» in Ukrainian. More than a million people live on the front line of the war without electricity, running water or heating. NGO Slava Ukraini, which delivers humanitarian aid straight to the front line villages, calls everyone to recognise the melody at Christmas and express their gratitude and support to the people of Ukraine through donations.

There have been thousands of arrangements of the Ukrainian Christmas carol. Many of them are known from famous Christmas movies such as «Home Alone», as well as from various Christmas concerts, commercials or theater performances. This winter, the NGO Slava Ukraini invites everyone who has ever heard this song to show their gratitude and support to the people of Ukraine through donations.

«Home Alone»

«We have to send a message to the Ukrainians that they are not alone and bring hope back where it is most needed right now. If the Ukrainian folk song «Shchedryk» is about a bird that brings happiness and health to Ukrainians after a cold winter, then our goal is to get necessary aid to Ukraine today to help them to survive the winter,» explained Johanna-Maria Lehtme, CEO of Slava Ukraini.

The aid goes straight to the villages suffering the most from the war atrocities

People left in the war zone have no electricity, running water or sewage, and many homes have been destroyed. These areas lack almost everything necessary for a normal life, including food and medical care. With the donations, the NGO Slava Ukraini puts together a humanitarian aid package «Christmas of Hope» and delivers it straight to the villages that are difficult to access and dangerous to stay in. The package includes food, hygiene products, a warm blanket and two pillows, candles, matches, a flashlight with extra batteries and handmade woolen socks, gloves, hats and scarves. The goal is to help at least 100,000 people.

Slava Ukraini was founded in Estonia on March 7, 2022 and quickly became one of the most well-known Estonian non-profit organisations helping Ukraine. Slava Ukraini works in partnership with Ukrainian NGO «All for Victory» and together they spend at least 2-3 weeks in Eastern Ukraine every month to distribute aid and make sure that it goes to the people that need it the most. «We go to the frontline where the aid is most needed and majority of other humanitarian aid organisations will not step a foot on. This is the region that suffers the most - no food, no heat, no electricity. Yet, people live there and need to survive the upcoming cold months,» explained Lehtme, who visits the regions herself personally at least once a month to assure the deliveries to Ukrainian citizens.

Within the last 9 months NGO Slava Ukraini has raised more than 3.5 million Euros in support of Ukraine. The organisation has supported children’s and other civilian hospitals with more than 670,000 Euros worth of medical equipment and supplies, delivered 57 ambulances, 21-pick-up trucks to Ukraine, built 42 guerilla ambulances, trained more than 3800 soldiers in tactical combat casualty care, and donated more than 20,000 Individual First Aid Kits. In October, more than 800,000 Euros was raised for «A 1000 Heroes in the Snow» within which 2399 warm winter uniforms were delivered to Ukrainian Armed Forces.

«The winter in Ukraine is harsh. Degrees below zero, no heat and electricity in many regions. It’s our duty across the world to help Ukrainians survive this winter, because not only their, but also our lives and future are dependent on it,» added Johanna-Maria Lehtme.

Donate and help Ukrainians living on the front line to survive the winter. The more donations is collected, the more people will survive: https://surviveukraine.com/

The founder and CEO of Slava Ukraini, Johanna-Maria Lehtme has been awarded the European of the Year by the Estonian Representation of the European Commission and the European Movement. Recently, Lehtme was awarded Citizen of the Year in Estonia.

The folk song «Shchedryk» was written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich in 1916. According to Ukrainian folk traditions, the beginning of the new year was celebrated in the spring, and the story of «Shchedryk» tells about a bird that has come in the spring, after a long winter, to bring abundance and happiness to homes.