Ukraine Appeal — Providing Meaningful Help to Soldiers in Ukraine
In March 2023, The Outreach Foundation visited Kyiv. Among our goals for this visit was to provide Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs) that had been requested specifically by Dr. Ivan Rusyn of the Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS) during his visit with us. These are the most requested items by soldiers at every checkpoint, he told us. Thanks to Delta Airlines, the baggage fee for 600 IFAKs was waived, which meant we were able to purchase an additional 200.
We could not have comprehended how much these kits really are needed until we met with Vasiliy, the war relief coordinator at UETS. These are gifts from God, he told us. Soldiers who receive these kits have an increased survivability rate nearing 90% over those who do not have them. Indeed, they are gifts from God because each kit was purchased through donations sent to The Outreach Foundation for this purpose. An officer commended us for these saying, These are high-quality kits. Thank you!
Soldiers each wear their own IFAK, and they receive training on how to use the supplies. If a soldier is wounded, another soldier uses the kit to perform immediate triage before medics can carry the injured soldier off the front line.
Each IFAK contains the following items:
IFAK pouch, CAT tourniquet, compressed combat gauze, trauma wound dressing, two pairs of gloves, hyfin chest seal for exit and entry wounds, nasopharyngeal airway, surgical tape, small scissors, aluminum eye shield, and a Sharpie marker.
Pictured here are soldiers receiving the kits we brought during our visit. Victor Petrenko, a retired general with the U.S. Army Airborne, is pictured with one of the officers holding the kits. Thank you for standing with the seminary as it seeks to provide meaningful relief to the soldiers protecting their country. This is just one of the many expressions of compassion that are making a difference to people there, showing that the gospel is both relevant and abounding in mercy and love. Dr. Rusyn shared, Our soldiers are impressed and grateful.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation continues to receive requests from UETS for IFAKs. Each new kit costs $90. Since the spring offensive is ongoing, we would like to send as many as possible as soon as possible. Please make your donations to The Outreach Foundation’s Ukraine Relief fund. Also, continue to pray for the ministry of UETS staff and the many small church pastors bringing relief not only to their soldiers but to people living in war-affected neighborhoods. Their work is making a difference, but they need us to stand with them. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.