From March 1st the city started experiencing rocket strikes. At the time around ~40 houses and apartment blocks were damaged. In the autumn the fighting again grew closer to the city itself and this number is now far higher.
The human cost has been the most horrendous. The majority of people couldn’t continue working. Food prices rose, it became increasingly hard to withdraw cash. Anyone suspected of organising or not cooperating with occupation was arrested and imprisoned or disappeared. This grew worse over the past months and eventually volunteers were also hunted, at the point that people needed help most. Nothing has been certain. The trauma from this collective experience is both physical and mental.
About us
Kherson Help began with us sending our own money, whatever we could afford, to our trusted friends in Kherson, so they could help people in need. At first this was to get aid to people in buildings which had been hit by rockets. Soon, we realised that some individuals needed ongoing help, and others in the city who are in desperate need of support started being referred to us.
We are now a registered charity in Germany, Hilfe für Cherson (Ukraine) e.V., and are continuing to collect donations internationally.
Accountability

- Our small network of volunteers inside Kherson is formed from people who we know are absolutely honest, trustworthy and willing to help.
Since Kherson Help has been founded by expats from the city, we began from people who we know personally and trust absolutely to ensure that donations reach the people for whom they are intended.

- We receive proof about the spending of donations.
- Where possible we are given shop receipts. This is not always possible under current conditions in the city: in these cases we receive a note of the spending, the items bought and photographs of these purchases.
- We keep strict account of all incoming and outgoing donations.
- For each new group of people we support, we first send a ‘test’ donation. This is monitored closely in order to make sure that it’s being used to buy essential provisions.