Themes by tag: Kharkiv

Kharkiv is the first city where Dobrobat opened a construction trade school for volunteers. Such training is absolutely necessary, because people from various professions, often those very distant from construction trade, come to the volunteer building division.

The first 10 students have already begun studying in school with professional builders acting as instructors. The training will last 3 weeks. The courses are focused on 9 specialties: window and door installation, drywallers, masons, facade workers, roofers, tilers, etc.

Mine safety will also be taught at “Dobrobat” construction trade school, because volunteers also have to work in de-occupied territories, so such knowledge can save their lives.

Dobrobat plans to create similar schools in six more cities: Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhia.

For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps to urgently rebuild housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

December 3 marks the 301st birth anniversary of the philosopher and prominent Ukrainian Hryhorii Skovoroda. In honor of the holiday, the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda, damaged by a Russian missile hit, is launching a collection called “301 True Friends of Skovoroda.” Anyone can contribute to the restoration and preservation of the museum by donating funds, setting up a mini fundraising event on their social media pages, or, for example, collecting books and paintings for the museum’s holdings. 

On May 6, 2022, the museum’s premises suffered a blow by a Russian artillery strike. The shockwave damaged the nineteenth-century storeroom and the Manager’s House, which are important components of the museum complex. The explosion caused a large-scale fire that scorched 280 square meters of the building. A statue of Hryhorii Skovoroda survived the recoil attack.

For reference: The museum is located on the territory of the Memorial Complex of the philosopher and poet Hryhorii Skovoroda in the Kharkiv region. The space has the status of a historical monument of national importance. There is also a grave of Hryhorii Skovoroda on the territory.

• culture
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kharkiv

Saint Nicholas’ Reindeer project volunteers have received as many as 1,000 letters from children from all over Ukraine. Basically, children ask St. Nich to bring toys, sweets, bicycles, or gadgets (as many of them study online) as a gift. This year, the kids also ask for victory for Ukraine and help for the Armed Forces, and some of them dream of going back to their destroyed homes.

According to the charity initiative, any person can pick a child’s letter and fulfill a dream. The volunteers will deliver the gifts, create a festive holiday celebration, and take a photo report. They will visit the de-occupied territories of the Kharkiv region, and work in Kyiv, Donetsk, and many other localities.

Journalists can talk to the campaign organizers, and cover the process of distributing gifts by volunteers, wherever possible. 

For reference: The St. Nicholas’ Reindeer project was founded in 2016 in Kharkiv to support children from frontline communities.

• children
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Hamish is 23 years old and he recently graduated from the University of St Andrews in the UK. After that, he spent one year working in London as a Conference Producer in the Defense sector.

The young man says that, just like many people in the UK, he was shocked when he heard about russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He was even more horrified by the terrible war crimes committed by the occupiers.

As soon as the boy collected enough money, he came to Ukraine. He volunteered in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions (particularly, he worked in the “Dobrobat” and “Brave to Rebuild” teams). He cleared rubble, helped to fix roofs, lay bricks and install windows.

Hamish is currently volunteering in Kharkiv: he helps to cook food for people affected by the war. In addition, he plans to join the local “Dobrobat” branch to help with the reconstruction.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv

One of the areas of work of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Ukraine is non-technical survey of the territory and clearance of explosives. The DRC work involves training sappers of the State Emergency Service and volunteer civilians to search for explosive ordnance. Since the contaminated areas are quite large, DRC is raising the number of demining specialists who, after completing their training, will get a job in the organization. Deminers work in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions together with the State Emergency Service, because it is sappers who have to remove explosive objects. In addition, the organization provides grant support to those affected by mines or other explosive remnants of war.

For reference: Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s territory has become one of the most contaminated with explosives in the world. According to the UN, it will take dozens of years to demine the country.

• demining
• Chernihiv
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv
• Mykolaiv

The government project “Recovery Army” is already working in Ukraine. It involves unemployed Ukrainians in community service. As of September 18, more than 50,000 people have joined the initiative. People get paid for the work they do.

Kharkiv oblast currently ranks the first in terms of attracting the unemployed to the “Recovery Army” (more than 10,000 people, about 1,000 of whom are IDPs). Kyiv oblast holds the fourth place, after Poltava and Donetsk regions. In particular, the participants from Kyiv region are put to work weaving camouflage nets, improving city spaces, sewing clothes or making dry rations for defenders, setting up shelters, etc.

Journalists are welcome to take a look at how the project is being implemented in Kharkiv or Kyiv regions. They can also get a comment from the authorities on this topic.

• reconstruction
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv

The “Animal Rescue Kharkiv” NGO opened a contact rehabilitation center for cats “Little Prince.” Animals rescued from the war zone are rehabilitated there. In particular, the center has a contact room made to resemble a home as much as possible, where you can play with cats. According to the founders, it is a kind of rehabilitation and relaxation, both for the pets and for the people.

The room receives visitors 4 times a week. Everyone is welcome. Most of all, military personnel (who also participated in cat rescue) and children are invited there.

For reference: the “Animal Rescue Kharkiv” NGO team has been rescuing animals in the city and the region for more than 8 years. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, they have also been evacuating animals from the war zone and de-occupied settlements (Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions). Volunteers, in particular, provide emergency medical assistance to animals, give them temporary shelter and find old or new owners for the pets.

• animals
• casualties
• children
• military
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

In the Korolenko State Scientific Library of Kharkiv, emergency works are currently ongoing. In particular, a temporary protective cover is being installed over the building.

In March 2022, the entire library complex was damaged due to rocket attacks by the occupiers on the center of Kharkiv. For instance, fragments of shells and rockets pierced the roof of the main building, destroyed the lantern above the atrium (damaging stained glass windows). Blast waves knocked out windows throughout the library. The ceilings in the workrooms began to crumble. The heating system was destroyed. Workers are trying to keep the library fund safe from moisture and mold.

According to preliminary estimates, UAH 70 million are needed for repair and restoration works.

For reference: The main building of the library was designed by O. M. Beketov, an outstanding Ukrainian architect (built in 1901). The building is an architectural monument and a part of urban infrastructure of state importance. It is under state protection.

• culture
• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• Kharkiv

Anton is 27. He is a surgical oncologist. The man was born in Donetsk region, since 2014 he has lived in Kharkiv. In order to help people who suffered as a result of the war, in August last year he joined the Ukrainian-Israeli mission of medical volunteers FRIDA Ukraine. And since in September 2022 the Armed Forces liberated the occupied territories of Kharkiv oblast, Anton participated in the first field medical missions to settlements de-occupied from the enemy. He recalls that he was most stricken by the sight of broken houses and burnt down tanks between them. And while helping people, he heard that fighting was still going on somewhere nearby.

In general, the medical volunteer managed to visit almost all the de-occupied settlements of Kharkiv region.

For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv oblast was completely de-occupied.

The Ukrainian-Israeli medical volunteer movement FRIDA Ukraine has been helping civilians since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Volunteer doctors (of various specialties) travel to the frontline and de-occupied regions (for example, Kharkiv, Kherson, or Donetsk regions), where they help local residents who complain about their health. In particular, they consult locals, perform surgeries, evacuate and distribute medicines.

• casualties
• doctors
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

In Kharkiv region, the Kharlamov family (mother Halyna, father Serhii, and son Yevhen) were evacuating people from under shelling since the beginning of the full-scale war. They became the founders of “Volunteer-68 Humanitarian Aid Center” NGO.

In particular, the volunteer family helped evacuate people across the Pechenihy dam in 2022, when part of Kharkiv region was still under occupation. Halyna recalls that it took people 5-6 hours to get to this dam alone, getting through more than 20 enemy checkpoints. Women with children, elderly people were completely exhausted. Almost every woman cried after reaching a safe place. And after the liberation of the region, “Volunteer-68” team drove into populated areas in ambulances and picked up people with limited mobility as well as everyone else who wanted to evacuate.

Recently, “Volunteer-68 Humanitarian Aid Center” NGO and Vostok-SOS Charitable Foundation initiated the opening of a temporary shelter in Kharkiv for low-mobility population groups and people with disabilities who are being evacuated from front-line communities.

For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv region was completely de-occupied.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kharkiv