MYKOLAIV, Ukraine (KTNV) — The safety of children in Ukraine is constantly on his mind. A Las Vegas man says he’s been taking extraordinary measures to ensure the orphanages he’s in contact with get the supplies they need. This comes as the Russian military continues its invasion.
“You can’t help but take this deeply personally. These are like my people.”
The weekend attack on a military barrack in Mykolaiv hit hard for Mark Davis.
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A Ukrainian orphanage he is helping is located in the city. While he says the orphanage is located on the other side of town and safe, he feels for the soldiers’ families.
“I know these young men. We see them all the time. We see them on the streets,” he said.
Davis runs Abundance International Inc., a nonprofit that helps orphanages in Ukraine. He has been driving around the country buying and delivering supplies while keeping his location incognito for fears of becoming targets of Russian forces. He says the reports of hospitals and shelters being targeted numbs him.
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“Even if they think that’s their way to cripple a population, it’s so insanely inhuman,” he said.
Davis helps about 20 orphanages he’s currently in contact with. Two of the orphanages wound up being in Russian-controlled areas, resulting in the need to get creative.
He says the money was able to be transferred electronically with orphanage directors contacting different pharmacies for needed medicine. A person who got a permit from Russian forces to drive during curfew helped transport it all.
“We don’t take no for an answer and we keep going to find the solutions because kids’ lives are at stake here,” he said.
He says the Ukrainian people have been resilient and says their resistance has been remarkable.
“I love the inherent robust human spirit that wants to find hope, wants to find positivity in the midst of dealing with the insanity that goes around us,” Davis said.
Davis says he’s hoping to expand the number of Ukrainian orphanages he’s in contact with.
If you’re interested in helping donate supplies for the orphanages, we have a link to their website here.
For more stories on Ukraine, including stories with Las Vegas connections, visit ktnv.com/Ukraine.
