Bringing water and hope to frontline villages in Ukraine
In early July, WCK learned that the communities of Kozatske and Vesele in southern Ukraine needed clean drinking water. Families there were left without a reliable source of potable water after the Kakhovka dam’s collapse in June 2023. Destruction of the dam caused a major drop in underground water levels and contaminated water sources. People living in these villages also contend with constant enemy fire despite having been liberated in 2022.
Without an outside water supply, roughly 240 residents were left to rely on unpurified well water. Local authorities and volunteers did what they could about the unsafe situation, often using their own funds to buy bottled water for the communities. Some families resorted to collecting rainwater or attempting to purify what water they had access to by boiling it. Others drank contaminated water, which often resulted in illness. With no hospitals or pharmacies remaining nearby, they endured these harsh conditions with little hope of relief for over a year.
“We use well water or rainwater in our household,” said Inga, who lives in Vesele. “We do laundry, wash dishes, and water farm animals with it, but clean drinking water is vital for our survival.”
Clean drinking water is vital for our survival.
Inga
Resident of Vesele
When the request for help arrived, WCK’s team in Kryvyi Rih developed a strategy to deliver purified drinking water at a rate of 2.5 liters per person, per day–enough to ensure the basic needs of the people living in the villages would be met.
“We really wanted to help this community because their situation is so close to our hearts,” said Katya, WCK’s Regional Lead. She, like most people in Ukraine, knows what it’s like to live in an active combat zone where basic necessities are absent.
Katya and her team found innovative ways to secure a regular supply of water for Kozatske and Vesele. First, they partnered with Protalynka, a purification station nearly 100 miles north in Kryvyi Rih, to buy bulk drinking water at a reduced price. “I explained the situation and they gave us a very good deal,” Katya recalls.
Then, WCK purchased bottles and created labels. This collaboration ensured a steady supply of clean water that was clearly labeled as potable. Delivering it safely to an area regularly under Russian fire posed a major logistical challenge. Direct delivery to the villages simply was not feasible because even in an armored vehicle, the task was too dangerous.
The team began transporting water to a neutral location in the relatively safe community located about an hour’s drive north of Kozatske and Vesele. From there, local representatives from the villages collect the water when it is safe and deliver it to the villages, ensuring that every drop reaches those in need. Using this midway point of exchange, WCK has successfully provided 3,000 bottles—about 15,000 liters—of clean water each month since July.
Water is the foundation of life, essential for everyone. I’m so glad this project succeeded.
Katya
WCK’s Regional Lead
WCK’s dedication to partnership, innovation, and working with members of the local community once again proved useful problem-solving tools in Ukraine. “I am very grateful to WCK for the opportunity to help,” said Katya. “Water is the foundation of life—essential for everyone. I’m so glad this project succeeded.”
Help us provide drinking water to families in Ukraine.
