All-out war in Congo! It is no longer clear where to flee. The unpredictability of the rebels makes it difficult to judge which places in the province are safe and which are not, where the bombs will fall today and where they will ruin the daily lives of the inhabitants tomorrow.

We watch video footage from Congo at the foundation. Everything looks terrible, but what catches our attention are the people who a week ago were huddled together hiding behind their houses, but today are walking with their heads up high despite the war being even louder and even closer. They need to eat, so they go out shopping at the market. The traders want to make money, so they are there waiting for them. The atmosphere thickens, but man is able to adjust in such a way as to continue to move in this new atmosphere. It is not a question of taming fear, bravado or recklessness. It is a question of basic needs that each of us must accommodate.

The same is true in Dnipro, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Russian aggression is reaching another level. The residents of Kiev are returning to their activities, despite the daily bomb alerts. We remember one of the first sirens warning of rocket fire that we encountered in the Ukrainian capital. In the car park in front of a high-rise block of flats, a young couple play badminton. Children ride between them on small bicycles. They don’t hide because there is nowhere to hide. Others are returning from the shops, waiting for the bus. From time to time, someone glances uneasily at the sky.

The Congolese and Ukrainians do not feel safe in their homes, but it is still their home, their place in the world, the only thing they have. They are unable to help themselves. They just want to live and live to see peace, and we have been supporting them in this perseverance since the first hours of the war. We regularly supply depots in Dnipro and Kiev, from where our aid reaches the very front line, to Sloviansk near Kramatorsk. In Congo, the front line does not need to be approached, as it actually crosses our hospital yard at the moment. We are providing shelter, medical assistance and basic supplies for the terrified people who have found themselves trapped.

Working in such difficult areas, it is difficult to make any plans. You have to react and deliver help quickly when you have the chance. That is why your constant, regular support is so important. We are not asking for a lot. It is about small sums of money which, when multiplied by all the good people who are prepared to entrust them to us, give us the opportunity to provide very precise, targeted aid, tailored to the needs of war victims.

The easiest tool in the world to do this good work with us is the High Five project. All you have to do is set up a standing order for 5 PLN per week. In return you gain a cause, a sense that it is because of you that someone is alive today, someone has eaten, kept warm or fed their child.

Join us and give us a High Five!