With temperatures expected to fall below freezing in less than two weeks, getting the new shelter for Ukrainian devotee refugees up in double-quick time is more urgent than ever.

The ten-room shelter, which is going up just outside of Kiev, will include a communal kitchen and a sawdust-fueled boiler for cost-effective heating and hot water. The property will also have four wells for water and septic.

The shelter will provide protection for ISKCON devotee families, many with small children, who were forced to flee their homes as snipers fired on them during the recent Russian military invasion of Eastern Ukraine.

Construction is going ahead at a steady pace at present, with some challenges, although the devotees working on the shelter are hopeful.

“The soil is very solid, very tough and we have to break it with large hammers,” they report on the official ISKCON Ukraine Crisis website. “The use of an Excavator was not possible because the foundation is not designed to be that wide. We have trained a new worker for making logs on the lathe, and wood is now being lathed non-stop.”

They do expect, however, that once the foundation is completed and is set, “The walls of the building will go up quickly.”

In the meantime, well-wishers from all over the world are sending in funds through www.fund.niranjanaswami.org that will go towards not only the shelter, but also food, clothing, transport and security for homeless devotees.

“From the bottom of my heart I thank you and devotees for the material support,” wrote Omvati Dasi to Niranjana Swami, the ISKCON guru heading up the fundraising efforts. “At present salaries and pensions are no longer paid in the city. Therefore, your financial support is very helpful. In this difficult time of trials it is especially pleasant to experience your mercy, care and support of devotees.”

To help by donating, please visit http://www.fund.niranjanaswami.org/donate-now/.

For more information and regular updates, visit www.fund.niranjanaswami.org.