Kiwi K.A.R.E has recently received a formal Letter of Request from a Regional Governor in eastern Ukraine for 3,500 additional stoves and water boilers. This is the largest single request we have received under our ‘Heat for Health’ programme.
This is significant. Not just for us, but for what it represents for New Zealand - an opportunity to engage in Humanitarian Diplomacy. With this request, we will surpass 11,000 units delivered. A milestone that reflects a continual need and absolute trust.
WITH LOVE FROM NEW ZEALAND
We fabricate these units out of repurposed hot water cylinders in our workshops in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Each one carries a brass plaque with a simple message: “With love from New Zealand”, and on which a map of our small country is etched. They are needed in frontline homes where infrastructure is constantly targeted and, consequently, there is no power and hot water.
The Ukrainian families who have received one describe them as lifesaving, and colloquially call them the ‘With love from New Zealand stoves.’ But they deliver much more than heat and hot water - they deliver dignity and hope. And importantly, they demonstrate that New Zealand is a country that shows up when it matters.
From the outset, Kiwi K.A.R.E has always believed that to make a positive difference in Ukraine we needed to deliver humanitarian diplomacy - not just aid. Our model allows us to deliver meaningful impact at scale, in an effective and efficient way, often with fewer resources than larger organisations.
Kiwi K.A.R.E receives no government funding. So we are sharing this not only as an update on the situation in Ukraine, now more than four years on, but also as an invitation. An opportunity to stand behind a uniquely New Zealand contribution, if you are able, one that continues to deliver hope where it is needed most.
