Many elderly struggle to survive on a meagre pension

The average pension is $2 a day in Ukraine and more than two-thirds of the country's 12.3 million pensioners receive even less - $2 is equivalent to a purchase of 2.7 litres of milk. That's hardly enough to purchase food, let alone pay for a place to call home.

Thanks to sky-high inflation, retirement for many in Eastern Europe and especially war-torn Ukraine, is the start of a race for survival. Not even well-paid jobs or university degrees can help as mounting hospital bills, increasing living costs and being abandoned by family begin to take prominence. Simply put, the social and economic environment is broken in Ukraine and across the six countries we work in.

What we do

Here at Mission Without Border's, we find ourselves in contact with ever greater numbers of elderly who are very often treated as worthless, are overlooked and ignored by society. Those who come to our community centres are hungry, sick, lonely and battle-weary from the constant struggle of trying to stay alive. We reach out to them with hot meals, visits, bringing them to our community centres and soup kitchens and, if they want to, to church.

“The last years have been very hard. I pray with tears daily because of my loneliness and disability. God has used the caring people from the Soup Kitchen to comfort me. I receive hot meals every day, and I can share my sorrows and hopes with them and they pray for me.” Mariya

Donate now