Hundreds of Long-Awaited “I’m Okay” Messages Will Be Heard: lifecell Donated 200 Starter Packs for Evacuees from Frontline Areas
When was the last time you waited for an important phone call? Or for a simple message saying: “I’m okay”?
For people evacuating from frontline hromadas, staying connected is often one of the first things they need after
being rescued. When you are heading into the unknown, hearing a familiar voice can become a source of support and give people the strength to keep going.
The EAST SOS Charity Foundation is grateful to the Ukrainian mobile operator lifecell for donating 200 starter packs for evacuees. Our specialists are distributing them at five transit centers: in Pavlohrad and Voloske in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Lozova in Kharkiv Oblast, as well as in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv.
Each starter pack is much more than mobile connectivity. It is hundreds of important and long-awaited messages: “I have arrived,” “Don’t worry,” “I’m okay,” which relatives and loved ones will finally hear.
For some, it will be the first conversation with a daughter after a long period without a connection. For others, it will be a chance to regain access to their own money or receive an important consultation. And for someone else, it will mean knowing that in a critical moment, they can reach a specialist who will pick up the phone and support them.
Behind every starter pack is a human being, along with their worries, their hopes, and their journey of evacuation. We would like to share several of these stories →
Olha, from the frontline town of Orikhiv, spent a long time living under shelling without a stable connection, and then lost her phone during the evacuation.
At the transit center in Zaporizhzhia, the EAST SOS team provided her with a new phone and a lifecell starter pack.
“I didn’t even think they would help me so much. Now I can call my children and know that we won’t lose touch,” says Olha.
For her, this means finally hearing the voices of her family again after long months of silence.
Oleksandr had been without a connection for more than six months.
On June 2, he and his wife Tamara evacuated from Chaplyne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the transit center in Pavlohrad. There, the EAST SOS team provided him with a phone and a lifecell starter pack.
Now the couple stays in touch with our evacuation team to rescue three cats and two dogs that are still at home. They are also able to use banking services and resolve important issues after evacuation.
Nina evacuated from Druzhkivka in Donetsk Oblast. At the transit center in Lozova, EAST SOS case manager Anna provided her with a mobile phone and helped activate the lifecell starter pack.
After a long period without a connection, Nina was finally able to speak with her loved ones again. She was also helped to open a bank account to receive one-time cash assistance from international partners.
“Recently, we helped Larysa undergo surgery and regain her sight. In the first weeks of recovery, she was worried about whether she was following the doctors’ recommendations correctly. Thanks to a mobile connection, I could stay beside her even from a distance, support her, and help with the questions that came up during rehabilitation,” shared Olha Prasil, EAST SOS Social Support Specialist.
“Older people living alone do not always decide to evacuate because they are afraid that they will be left alone with no support. We not only help with accommodation but also provide psycho-emotional support. The journey to a new place of residence can be especially difficult: in unfamiliar places, anxiety and fear often increase. Mobile connectivity helps us support people and help them adapt,” says Oksana Akchebash, EAST SOS Social Support Specialist.
EAST SOS, together with Holder and Curelex, recently launched a campaign to provide diapers for evacuees.
