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The Mennonite Benevolent Society

The Mennonite Benevolent Society was formed in 1945 with a range of goals, one of which is to establish facilities and programs to address the needs of families during sickness and infirmity.

The Mennonite Family Centre is located within three apartments on the main floor of this large apartment complex.

As a result, Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Homes was formed, and Concordia Hospital came under the umbrella of the new Society.

The Mennonite Family Centre – Ukraine
In the late 90s, Mennonite tourists travelling to Ukraine came back with stories of the hardships faced by the many vulnerable people of Ukraine, particularly seniors.

As a response, a feasibility study was conducted, and in
2002, the Mennonite Family Centre was formed in Zaporizhzhya and registered as a local charity in the Oblast of Zaporizhzhya. The purpose was to develop a model of senior care within the Ukrainian culture that could be locally sustainable, locally run, and could be replicated in other areas. This has become a major ministry of the Mennonite Benevolent Society.

Ukraine Update - October 3, 2023

Life in Zaporizhzhya has settled into a more normal routine.  The city has seen a steep reduction in the population due to many people leaving for safer regions, so traffic is sparse.  Air raid sirens continue almost daily, lasting anywhere from 10 or 15 minutes to sometimes hours.  Often they are interspersed with calm periods in between.   Many people don’t take shelter anymore when the sirens are going, but they are aware of the dangers, and willing to accept them.   There are many nights when rockets and drones come to the city, but most of them are intercepted, and when they do come through, emergency personnel are on the spot quickly to take over.  We thank God injuries and deaths have been relatively low in Zaporizhzhya, knowing this is not the case everywhere.   It is a brutal war with many civilian and military deaths, and cemeteries are being expanded in many communities to accommodate the many new deaths.  If it is a military death, a the Ukrainian flag is flown.  Some cemeteries are a sea of blue and yellow.

People are tired of the sirens and the daily news of war, so don’t want to talk about it if there is anything else to talk about. 

The Ukraine military offensive began in spring, and has been slow in reclaiming more territory, due to the many landmines spread over a wide area of the occupied areas.  Many have to be deactivated by hand, and this is very slow.  As Ukraine developed new technologies to activate the land mines remotely, the Russian military changed how they are planted, and new ways need to found to deactivate them more efficiently.

The work of the Mennonite Family Centre continues in the form of the Home Care services and the Respite Centre.  The needs continue to grow.  We have just 6 spots for widows in the Respite Program, and these are regularly taken up by widows needing 24 hour care.  Rather than being respite, they become long term care spots.  The Home Care program continues with an average of about 120 to 130 clients.  Care providers have been very good at rescheduling their visits when there are rockets in the area.  The programs for children with special needs also are functioning well, and are very effective.  Our Centre provides funds to two programs for children with special needs.  These are known as the Kangaroo program of the “Florence Centre”, and also “Prometheus”, which has up to 140 children from just a few years old to 17 years old.  They have regular school classes for the older children, and continue to prepare children with special needs for acceptance in the public school system, and prepare all students with social and life skills for life in the community as adults.  The Day Program where clients come to the Centre for the day in small groups is still suspended.  We are hopeful it can begin again soon.

We are grateful for the support received, and grateful to God for protection and safety.  To date we have not had any deaths or injuries of clients or staff as a result of the war.  I speak with our Director, Boris Letkeman, daily and can report the people of Zaporizhzhya are filled with hope the war can come to an end, and look forward to a time of rebuilding their lives, their communities, and the country, knowing it will never be the same.   Our programs will adapt to changing needs as the war goes on, and hopefully beyond. 

Written by Louie Sawatzky

Ukraine Update - May 3, 2022

AS of this writing, Ukraine remains in a serious conflict with Russia.  Although the Ukraine Military was able to defend against a military takeover in Kyiv and Kharkiv and many other cities, there has been a lot of destruction, pain and suffering.  About 5.5 million people, mostly women and children have left Ukraine for Poland, Romania, Chechia, Belarus and other locations with that many more simply travelling further west but within Ukraine, for safety.  That means about 25% of the people of Ukraine have left their homes, many never to return. Many hope to return when it is safe to do so, but there may not be anything to go back to.  We will not go into the many details of war here, since this is available on the National News every day.

War leaves many victims and many scars, besides the loss of buildings and property.  Tensions are high, and the feelings of anger and the trauma of the many experiences will not go away easily.  It may take several generations, no matter how this is eventually resolved.  We hope and pray this will happen soon, but realistically, this situation may last for many months.

Zaporizhzhya has been turned into a fortress, with many checkpoints and barricades, and anti-tank contraptions.  However, Zaporizhzhya also has a fairly good defence system.  Many rockets directed at targets within Zaporizhzhya have been intercepted.  There has been damage, but it has been comparatively light, even though, on many days, there is the constant sound of war in the distance, mixed with the birdsong of spring.  People are going about daily life, alternating time in planting gardens and preparing for the summer season, and spending time in air raid shelters when the warning sirens go.  It is far from a normal spring, even in Zaporizhzhya.  Refugees from the eastern and southern cities continue to arrive in Zaporizhzhya, and are met at the refugee Centre in Churches and Schools, given shelter and the basic needs and often assisted in making their way to the rail station to continue the journey further west and safety.

The programs of the Mennonite Family Centre continue as much as possible.  There have been breaks in the program when curfews and added restrictions prevented the programs from continuing, but at the time of this update, all programs are being run fully.  We try to address the trauma and anxieties of our clients by being there and supporting them in their daily lives.  

To date, food is still available in the markets, although inflation is making everything even more expensive.  Medical supplies are not always available, but this might mean, people must take more time to search as to where they may be available.  Gasoline is being rationed and allows only 20 litres purchased at one time.   A general curfew applies to everyone from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m., and extended curfews sometimes lasting for two or three days are imposed when specific dangers are anticipated.   During this time, you must be off the streets.  At all times all windows are blacked out for the night.   That is life in Zaporizhzhya in wartime.

We are grateful for protection for staff and clients, and generally for the people of Zaporizhzhya, while we mourn the atrocities in so many other regions.  It is hard to understand God’s plan, but we are confident He is in control.

Updated March 2, 2022

To all Supporters and persons interested in the Ukraine Ministry of the Mennonite Benevolent Society of Winnipeg.

Conditions in Ukraine have deteriorated rapidly.  For this reason, we are issuing an urgent appeal for support.  Many people are living in terror and many people are losing their lives.  Today, we are sending the following letter to all supporters of the Mennonite Family Centre.

The current war in Ukraine is devastating, affecting every aspect of life in Ukraine.  At the time of this writing, the whole country is living in conflict with Russia.  However, the will and determination of the people are amazing, and they cling to the hope, that they will prevail, and retain the freedoms they have enjoyed since they gained independence and democracy in 1991.  

Although there are few ethnic Mennonites currently living in Ukraine, there are many footprints of the days gone by, evidenced by the many homes in the villages built by Mennonites, still in use. This house is located in the village of Nikoliapol, (which once was the village of Nikapole and the neighbouring village of Franzfeld.