Source: ENSU-RESU, Belgium
January 28, 2026
Since its creation, the European Network for Solidarity with Ukraine (ENSU) has focused on concrete solidarity "from the bottom up" without going through state authorities. As we were reading the news about Russian attempts to destroy Ukraine's energy network in order to turn winter into a weapon of war, we received a message from Jean-Pierre from La Louvière.
Jean-Pierre F. lives in La Louvière with his partner, E (pictured). He is a retired steelworker. He can devote a lot of time to his large vegetable garden, reading and keeping up with world events, as he has always done.
But he has never been content to just read and comment on the news. So when he sees and hears descriptions of Kiev, where, at -15°C, residents are deprived of electricity and heating due to Russian bombing, he thinks of the generator he bought three years ago in anticipation of possible difficult times.
Of course, he could have kept it "just in case", but instead he contacted the RESU Belgium Committee and offered the generator to the Ukrainians because he thought they needed it much more urgently than his own family.
Everything happened very quickly. Members of ENSU-Belgium collected the generator from La Louvière and took it to a warehouse belonging to the Ukrainian Women's Association in Anderlecht. Next weekend, it will be among the supplies that a lorry will transport to Ukraine.
This kind of concrete example of solidarity, which Ukrainians have been practising on a daily basis for years, is heart-warming. Although it may seem that the world is returning to a law of the jungle, ultimately it is collective care that keeps us standing.
You can provide financial support for concrete initiatives by Ukrainian civil society by making a donation to the ‘Solidarity for Ukraine’ account IBAN BE44 9502 4610 9745 BIC: CTBKBEBX. If you would like to participate in solidarity initiatives with Ukraine in Belgium, you can contact us by writing to: resu.enso@gmail.com