OC Ukraine delivers Aid in Odessa
12/25/2025, Lauren Claire Kim
The fields of Transnistria
In the summer of 2024, a group of medical and dental professionals led by Cooperative Aid went to Romania, Moldova and Ukraine border for 2 weeks.
A fresh fruit market in Moldova
During this mission, we held daily clinics, seeing a wide variety of patients ranging from 30-80 patients a day and dispensed the basic anti-hypertensives and diabetes medications, ranging from lisinopril to metformin as well as the standard antibiotics. Each day we spent at a different village, often near the border. It was at this time unsafe to enter Ukraine. Care packages were delivered through Aniel and Daniel our translators and Romanian ambassadors for Cooperative Aid. A total of $2500 of toys and glasses and donations were delivered, not including the medications.
Car full of supplies courtesy of OC Ukraine
In the summer of 2025, two rare opportunities opened up. During our usual 2 weeks trip to Moldova and Ukraine, we were invited inside the Russia-declared colony of Transnistria. Transnistria is a strip of land that borders western Ukraine and inside current Moldova. This area self-declared its allegiance to Russia several years ago and has a separate checkpoint as well as Russian patrol and soldiers. Secondly, due to the Ukraine-Russia war being further to the east, it was deemed somewhat safe to enter Odessa.
Transnistria, statue of Lenin Town Square
On 6/16/25, seven members of Cooperative Aid were invited into the Russian colony of Transnistria where we served 45 church members, conducting medical examinations, and left behind extra medications and supplies –aspirin, motrin, several brands of antihypertensives (ACE inhibitors and beta blockers), antibiotics, metformin, anti-angina medications, reading glasses, as well as toys, ranging ~ $850 --with promise to return with more.
In an unfortunate turn of events, there was a G7 summit being held elsewhere. As a result, bombings and drone attacks in Ukraine intensified. ON 6/17/25, 13 people were injured as fire broke out in downtown Odessa. Two ship-ground missiles (presumably fired from Russian ships in the Black Sea) were launched into the town of Odessa, killing 28 people. These accelerated attacks were ironically reported less in the world news due to Israel’s attack on Iran the exact same day. While Russia barraged the towns of Ukraine with drone attacks, we entered into Odessa. Cooperative Aid had been invited by the pastor of Grace church (grace.od.ua). We entered with $2000 of medications as well as we bought an additional $2100 of supplies, ranging from toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, teas, coffee and some chocolate to help 200 families. Additionally, we brought $1350 of Duplo and legos and toys as well as custom-made anatomy and biology learning coloring books for the orphans who study and live at the church.
A drone poster in Ukraine, reading roughly "DRONE FALL / WE DESTROY ENEMY INTELLIGENCE DRONES"
Just before leaving Odessa 6/18/25, we stopped by Odessa Bay and saluted the Black Sea where once Mark Twain stood and wrote one of his first (of many) travel articles that began his career many years ago. It is one thing to fundraise money in the US. It is another to be able to hand-deliver goods and medical services directly to the hands of those in need across the ocean in Moldova and Ukraine. In particular, Ukraine alone, we have been able to deliver >$10,000 in supplies in the last two years. We thank Cooperative Aid – especially Michele Wyatt—for all her leadership. We also thank Aniel Naste who is tireless in his efforts for Moldova and Ukraine (please follow him on facebook).
The Odessa Bay overlooking the Black Sea
We made and delivered customized books to teach kids about the human body and biology!
We thank all our contributors, sponsors, families and fundraisers for having enabled us to continue our fund-raising campaign to support what little we can towards the Ukraine humanitarian effort. God Bless Us Everyone.
-Lauren Claire Kim 12/25/25
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