The Cleveland Maidan Association, a Ukrainian-American humanitarian organization, shipped an estimated $1 million in donated medical supplies and equipment to Ukraine from its distribution center in Warrensville Heights March 14.
It was the latest in a series of monthly shipments that have continued since Russia first invaded Ukraine. Supplies range from surgical equipment and specialized bandages to wheelchairs, mattresses and medical tubing for hospitals, rehabilitation centers and orphanages.
This shipment marked the first time the organization has provided supplies to an orphanage, said Dr. Taras Mahlay, president of the Cleveland Maidan Association.
The orphanage, Misto Dobra, which translates to City of Goodness, is located in Chernivtsi, a city located in southwest Ukraine on the Romanian border. Misto Dobra is a hospice care orphanage serving terminally ill children, Mahlay said.
“Kids that have lost their parents due to the war and on a ventilator, suffering, in pain, can't eat," he said. "You need to do something to have some quality of life, at least for whatever time this child has.”
The shipment to the orphanage includes tubing to help children breathe, eat and receive pain medication, Mahlay said.
The group's work is not impacted by the United States’ recent decision to reduce support for Ukraine. The U.S. restored military aid to Ukraine after ceasefire talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia. President Trump, pushing for a ceasefire, warned Russia of financial consequences if Putin resists, NPR reported.
“It has not affected ours because we do not get grants," Mahlay said. "Basically Northeast Ohio is supporting us either with cash donations or donations of medical supplies, either equipment or a medical supply.”
But federal funding cuts may force larger organizations to reduce their distribution of antibiotics and surgery equipment, he noted.
