Harvest Thrift adds to Ukraine '100 Homes' project
The 100 homes being built by Youth With a Mission for the people of Ukraine aren’t fancy or big, but they will provide a warm, safe haven this winter as the nation struggles to rebuild during the war.
There is an adage that states, “Home is where the heart is.”
For 100 families near Kiev, Ukraine, their small but warm homes that are being built will be filled with many caring, compassionate hearts.
Anya Schlegel and her husband Kyle lived in Ukraine and worked with the service organization, Youth With a Mission, before relocating back in the United States when the war in Ukraine began.
While the Schlegels were back home, Anya’s heart remained entrenched in her homeland, and her desire to help her nation’s people remained resolute.
Wanting to help others back in Ukraine, Schlegel invested herself in YWAM’s effort to build 100 homes in 100 days, and recently, Harvest Thrift Store of Sugarcreek and Wilmot made a donation that will provide funds for another home build in Ukraine.
Andrea Hostetler, one of Harvest Thrift Store’s board members, said these types of endeavors are why the thrift store was created, and while it started as a way to aid local teens, the thrift store has branched out to help people globally.
“We have always supported YWAM and the Schlegels, so it made sense to invest in helping this cause because we understand the devastation going on in Ukraine and want to do what we can to help,” Hostetler said. “I brought it up to the board, and they didn’t hesitate.”
This donation of $6,500 marks the second such effort by Harvest Thrift Store, with the first taking place in early September. As YWAM inches through October, it will complete the 100 homes in 100 days, although they will do some inside follow-up work through November.
The undertaking has been intense and demanding, but Schlegel said having witnessed firsthand the devastation in Kiev, the organization knew it needed to respond.
“There were bombs going off everywhere, and the people in their homes were the biggest victims of a war they weren’t even fighting,” Schlegel said. “The ruins, the lost homes, the lost lives have been overwhelming.”
Slowly, the communities there were able to begin to clean away debris, push aside the loss and look to begin again. With winter right around the corner, it was imperative families find a warm place to stay, and YWAM found a way.
Schlegel said YWAM continues to find those people who need the homes the most, such as elderly people who struggle to fend for themselves.
“With winter approaching, everyone saw this huge need of hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes,” Schlegel said. “These small villages were being hit hard, so we picked a small region that has four villages with 500 homes lost. We looked at our mission and what we could do and give, and with our network, what could we commit?”
They signed on to build 100 homes.
In discussing the building process, the YWAM team didn’t want to build just a shell. They wanted each home to be furnished as a living hope for each family. Schlegel said they wanted the people there to know God cares about them. They created a fundraising campaign to raise money, with $6,500 building one home with a toilet, shower, a kitchenette, one window, a door and a wood stove among what was supplied.
The homes are not huge, built as one room consisting of 20 square meters, but the homes are heated and safe.
Amazingly, a home takes seven people one day to build, after a prebuilt concrete foundation is put in place.
YWAM also developed a relationship with Homes of Hope, an organization that specializes in home builds that utilizes volunteers who go to builds with a couple of professional builders.
September saw more than 100 volunteers come in to build the first 50 homes in a very short period. That included Ukrainians and foreigners who responded to the call to volunteer in love and compassion.
Schlegel said these village homes that were destroyed in the war were nice homes, so there are mixed emotions for those receiving these houses. She said on one hand they aren’t what they had become accustomed to living in, but at the same time, there is much gratitude to those who have helped build them a sanctuary that will help them get through these times of immense struggle.
“It’s a speck of home for them,” Schlegel said. “They were super-grateful, but the hit they took was devastating.”
Much of the material for each home is coming from a partnership with companies in Romania, as well as YWAM striving to support companies in Ukraine by purchasing as much material as possible from them.
Schlegel said in addition to the home build project, YWAM continues to provide trauma relief, both spiritually and physically, providing encouragement and guidance for families. She herself has been back and forth to her homeland several times throughout this project.
As the project rolls on, Schlegel said there are ways people here can become a big part of this effort.
“The community here has given so much and continues to do so,” Schlegel said. “This has taken the heart and commitment of many people from all over the world, and although we are tired, we are determined to finish this for the people of Ukraine. We want to be a ray of hope for them.”
She said once winter sets in, the home build project will be nearly impossible to continue, and Schlegel said Homes for Hope is already talking about continuing the project next spring.
So many emotions are wrapped up inside these 20-square-meter homes, but because they are built out of love and compassion, these homes will serve as reminders that people around the world care about the lives of those struggling in Ukraine.
Anyone wishing to donate to the cause may do so by calling the Schlegels at 330-621-8093.