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August 10
Ukraine: The Acqua Viva Project Reaches Communities in Kharkiv. As of June 30, four out of ten kits had been prioritized for people in particularly vulnerable situations and in need, including people with disabilities and the elderly. When a war drags on, international attention risks waning before the needs of the population are met. For those living in the Kharkiv region, however, the emergency is not just a distant news story. It continues to affect daily life, access to essential goods, and the ability to care for oneself with dignity. It is in this context that the Acqua Viva 04/UCr/13157/2026 project continues, funded by AICS Kiev and implemented with the direct participation of the NGO POBIC. As of June 30, 1,089 personal hygiene kits had been distributed to communities in the Kharkiv region. This tangible result marks the transition from the availability of aid to its actual distribution throughout the region. From 15 metric tons of supplies to distribution in communities In the previous update on the Acqua Viva project, POBIC reported the arrival in Kharkiv of approximately 15 metric tons of personal hygiene products. The latest data documents the next phase of the intervention: the received supplies were organized into kits and progressively distributed to the target communities. This is not merely a matter of quantifying the aid delivered. Each distribution represents a response to a daily need that, in a situation of war and displacement, can become difficult to meet. Four out of ten kits went to the most vulnerable people. 40% of the distributed kits were prioritized for people in particularly vulnerable situations and in need, including people with disabilities and the elderly. Allocation was based on an assessment of specific needs, so as to direct support toward those who may face greater difficulties in independently accessing essential goods. This is a key element of the project: not an indiscriminate distribution, but an intervention that takes into account the circumstances of individual people and the inequalities that war tends to exacerbate. For an older adult or a person with a disability, in fact, the disruption of services, the loss of support networks, and difficulties with mobility can make it even more challenging to obtain even the items needed for daily care. Behind every number is a person. Help POBIC continue to stand by the Ukrainian people. PEOPLE REACHED 0 M PERSONAL HYGIENE KITS 0 KITS DISTRIBUTED 0 % Personal hygiene is a matter of health and dignity. In a humanitarian emergency, personal hygiene products may seem less urgent than other forms of aid. In reality, they help protect health, prevent health problems, and preserve people’s dignity. Being able to wash and care for one’s body means maintaining an essential part of one’s daily life, even when war has disrupted routines, relationships, and certainties. The value of the Acqua Viva project also lies in this: recognizing that humanitarian assistance is not just about survival, but also about the right to live in conditions that are as safe and dignified as possible. Essential Aid in an Ongoing Crisis More than four years after the start of the large-scale invasion, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine remains extremely severe. According to the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for 2026, approximately 10.8 million people in the country still need humanitarian assistance. In this context, the distribution of 1,089 kits represents a limited but necessary intervention. It demonstrates how collaboration between humanitarian organizations, on-the-ground workers, and institutions can transform resources and materials into effective support for communities. A kit cannot restore what the war has taken away. However, it can help protect a part of a person’s daily life, health, and dignity. And it is also through concrete actions like this that POBIC continues to stand by the Ukrainian people. The photographs accompanying this update are simple, unstaged, and far removed from the aesthetics typically associated with fundraising campaigns. Their value, however, lies precisely in their authenticity. Security conditions did not allow POBIC staff to travel to the areas affected by the distribution. Access was not authorized because it would have required extraordinary protective measures and procedures in a part of the Kharkiv region that has been subjected to systematic bombardment since April.
READ MOREJuly 3
A School Event Leads to a Concrete Act of Solidarity: The families of the Stefano Magri Elementary School in Vescovato have turned the end of the school year into a form of support that will last over time. There are times when an educational message transcends the stage and becomes a concrete act of solidarity. This is exactly what happened at the Stefano Magri Elementary School in Vescovato, where the students concluded the school year with a performance inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s *The Little Prince*. The musical, which involved all the school’s classes, served as the culmination of a program dedicated to friendship, responsibility toward others, and the value of bonds. POBIC volunteers and the organization’s president, Paolo Novellini, also attended the event. From Words to Tangible Help The families“ participation sparked a spontaneous fundraiser, which made it possible to set up a long-distance sponsorship program for a child supported by POBIC. This gesture, born within a school community, has the power to reach far and provide tangible support for a child’s growth. This initiative demonstrates how solidarity can be taught not only through words, but above all through experiences. Children, teachers, and families worked together to transform the values conveyed during the performance into a real choice of compassion and responsibility. POBIC thanks the Stefano Magri Elementary School, the teachers, the students, and all the families who participated in and supported the initiative. Every gesture, even when it originates from a small community, can become the beginning of a story capable of changing a life. Read the full story and testimonials in the article published by *La Provincia di Cremona*. To learn about POBIC’s programs and find out how to sponsor a child, visit the page dedicated to long-distance sponsorships. News source: Antonella Bodini, ”From the Show to Long-Distance Sponsorship: The Great Gesture of Solidarity by the Elementary School Parents,” La Provincia di Cremona, June 29, 2026. Text independently rewritten by POBIC based on the original news article and information regarding the organization’s activities. THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, WE SAVE THE LIVES OF DOZENS OF CHILDREN EVERY YEAR. HELP US DO EVEN MORE. Countries 0 Children operated on 0 Children examined 0 +
READ MOREJune 9
Official launch of the WECARE project in Eritrea. THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, WE SAVE THE LIVES OF DOZENS OF CHILDREN EVERY YEAR. HELP US DO MORE. Countries 0 Children operated on 0 Children examined 0 +
READ MOREJune 1
Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine: 15 metric tons of personal hygiene products delivered to Kharkiv. An initiative to support the displaced population: over 1,500 beneficiaries, including 60% with disabilities. In a context still marked by severe tensions and ongoing risks for the civilian population, a new humanitarian operation has made it possible to deliver concrete aid to the city of Kharkiv, one of the areas hardest hit by the conflict in Ukraine. Despite a particularly challenging weekend in terms of operations and security, our colleague Olga, who was on the ground, managed to receive approximately 15 metric tons of personal hygiene products intended to support 1,545 internally displaced persons. The Acqua Viva Project and Support from AICS Kiev This is an initiative of great humanitarian importance, especially considering that at least 60% of the beneficiaries are people with disabilities, who are often among the most vulnerable groups and most exposed to the consequences of war, isolation, and a lack of essential services. The supply includes essential items for daily care and hygiene—goods that, in emergency situations, take on fundamental importance not only from a health perspective but also in terms of personal dignity and the protection of living conditions for people forced to leave their homes. This operation was made possible thanks to the “Acqua Viva 04/UCr/13157/2026” project, funded by AICS Kiev, and represents a further step in supporting Ukrainian civilian communities that continue to face the daily consequences of the conflict. POBIC’s commitment to standing alongside war-affected communities. In areas where access to basic necessities can become extremely difficult, collaboration between local workers, humanitarian organizations, and international partners ensures the continuity of aid and tangible support for the most vulnerable people. Through initiatives like this, POBIC continues to support humanitarian assistance efforts aimed at populations affected by the war, contributing to the distribution of essential goods and providing support to the most vulnerable segments of the civilian population. In situations of forced displacement, access to personal hygiene products is an essential need that is often underestimated. Soap, detergents, personal care products, and other everyday items help not only prevent health problems but also preserve the dignity and well-being of people living in particularly vulnerable conditions. THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, WE SAVE THE LIVES OF DOZENS OF CHILDREN EVERY YEAR. HELP US DO EVEN MORE. Countries 0 Children operated on 0 Children examined 0 +
READ MOREMay 9
Jeremiah and Perl: Two More Lives Saved Thanks to Pobic’s Network of Solidarity Jeremiah and Perl: Two Children Who Underwent Heart Surgery Thanks to Pobic Jeremiah and Perl are two children who arrived from Uganda with a concrete hope: to receive the treatment they needed to address a serious heart condition. Thanks to POBIC’s efforts, both underwent heart surgery in Italy and today stand as a new testament to what solidarity can achieve when it translates into organization, care, and continuity. Their stories are not isolated incidents. Jeremiah and Perl are, in fact, the 97th and 98th children accompanied by POBIC on a life-saving treatment journey. This milestone reflects years of work, international partnerships, collaboration with specialized healthcare facilities, and a constant presence alongside the children and their families. In total, throughout its history, POBIC has supported 423 children: a number that concretely illustrates the depth of a commitment built over time. Solidarity Donation Boxes in Verona: 1,000 Business Owners Supporting POBIC Behind every surgery, there is more than just an operating room. There is a network of people, communities, and small daily gestures that, over time, make something extraordinary possible. A key role is also played by the approximately 1,000 Verona business owners who, for twenty years, have hosted POBIC’s donation boxes. Bars, shops, and local businesses thus become vibrant hubs of widespread solidarity—places where even a small contribution can turn into something enormous: a trip, a surgical procedure, a new chance at life. It is precisely this quiet and tangible network that makes POBIC’s work possible. Solidarity, when shared and nurtured over time, ceases to be an abstract concept and becomes a force capable of transcending borders, distances, and difficulties. https://www.pobic.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/h264_yuv420p_858_480_25_1300_aac_64_48000_2.mp4 Thoughts and Colors: Teaching Solidarity in Schools Alongside its healthcare efforts, POBIC continues to promote educational programs on solidarity aimed at the younger generation. The “Thoughts and Colors” project is part of this effort—an educational contest for schools that invites children and teens to express, through drawing, values such as mutual aid, happiness, and caring for others. The connection between the stories of Geremia and Perla and the involvement of schools makes POBIC’s mission even clearer: not only to intervene where there is an urgent need for care, but also to help build a culture of solidarity capable of growing over time and engaging communities, families, students, and local areas. Because saving a life also means teaching compassion. And every gesture, even the smallest one, can become part of a bigger story. THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT, WE SAVE THE LIVES OF DOZENS OF CHILDREN EVERY YEAR. HELP US DO EVEN MORE. Countries 0 Children operated on 0 Children examined 0 +
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