

Bwok, bwok, bwok. Fluffy young chicks cluck inside cardboard boxes. More than a thousand of the scrabbling fowl inhabit trucks near a boarded-up building in Donetsk, Ukraine. The birds are live food donations headed to families struggling due to armed conflict.
The conflict has been roiling since 2014. That’s when Russian troops invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine. Shortly after, many Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation. The vote was widely questioned. Russia annexed the peninsula. Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed he was protecting Russian citizens and Russian speakers in Crimea and Ukraine.
Some 13,000 people have been killed since the conflict began. Bombings, shootings, and skirmishes occur regularly in the area. Both Ukraine and global leaders report the buildup of Russian troops, military equipment, and gunfire in the area known as the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Trudovskiy is a small village in Donetsk, less than a mile from the frontline between Ukraine and Russian-militants. There’s been no shelling in the area lately, residents say. But local Oksana Grigoryeva’s house has still not been fully repaired after it was bombed in 2014.
Still, the impact of the fighting makes farming and getting food difficult for villagers. The International Committee of the Red Cross began distributing chickens there in 2017. The fowl giveaway seeks to lessen citizens’ dependence on outside aid, says Red Cross representative Andras Derzsi-Horvath. It also increases the possibility of sustainable, small-scale food production in the village.
You may have heard it said, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” That’s the idea behind the project.
To meet immediate needs, the Red Cross is handing out nine broiler chickens to each of 170 Donetsk families. The group also supplies chicken feed and grinders. Later, residents will receive egg-laying chickens and roosters. With those, families can become micro-farmers. They can raise their own chickens and sell surplus meat and eggs.
“This is for my family and for my mom,” Elina Konoplyeva says of the boxed chickens she picks up. “It will be a good asset.”
Grigoryeva agrees, saying, “Chickens mean meat, eggs. Sometimes all grocery stores are closed, so there is nowhere for us to go.”
Derzsi-Horvath says the poultry plan aims “to increase their dignity in that [the people] can provide for themselves.”
It’s also a good reminder of 1 John 3:17: “If anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” In Donetsk, love looks a lot like chickens.
1ST COMMENT
i like chickens
2nd Comment
I think that is a really neat idea.
We have chickens
@Riley D
Yeah me and my family have chickens as well. We don't have a whole lot. We got 12 earlier this year.
rip
me: ooo what am i going to read today....
Also me: love and chick-? LOVE AND CHICKENS YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
My brother: *911 what is your emergency*
@above
Yeah i used to have chickens as well but they died.
Sadness
I lost two
I lost two chickens a few years ago. Now, we have 8. chickens named Alpha, Panda, Goldie, Belle, Sunshine, Shadow ( We call her Honk because she honks a lot ), Koopa, and Feather. It's cool how chickens spread happiness.
CFA! CFA! CFA! CFA... (Chick
CFA! CFA! CFA! CFA... (Chick-Fil-A) Has the best milkshakes and chicken sandwiches in the world! No... The Entire Universe!!!!!!!!!
@caden w
i think that that is kind of beside the topic
@riley D
sooooooooooooo, we kind of have about fifty chickens but they NEVER lay eggs, we get like FIVE eggs a day and we used to get like FORTY!!!!!!!!!!!!! D:
What?
"Love looks a lot like chickens"? What does that mean? Oh, and those people are doing great helping Ukraine (I can't pronounce Donetsk).
"Love looks a lot like chickens."
Indeed. While its true that there is a lot of bad evil people out there, we have to remember that there are so many amazing people out there that do things like this. Also, yes, love does indeed look a lot like chickens. Or at least they steal all your love, and your heart. Chickens are one of the best animals out there, and they will steal your heart.
Chickens
@Scarlett Wow that is neat that you have names for them all! None of our chickens have names!
@Warren That sure is a LOT of chickens! We have probably twenty or so (I don't know the exact count) but they are not laying well either right now. I think we are getting some more in the spring. I understand about yours not laying eggs! There have been times we get one or no eggs!
Mmm this made me hungry
And Caden W i agree with you
Chick-fil-a is my favorite restaurant
I only order my usual: grilled nuggets and French fries.
Chickens are also very cute.
O O
U
@ Eilise W
I love the grilled nuggets but they never fill me up!