Themes by tag: volunteers

On April 1, 2022, Jay Rivera, a 38-year-old former account manager from Pennsylvania, boarded a plane from New York to Warsaw for his first trip to Europe. Leaving behind his family and job, he came with a mission: to support Ukrainians affected by the war.

Rivera began by coordinating foreign volunteers and managing logistics in Przemyśl, Poland. By October 2022, he had taken the helm of Hope Shelter refugee center for Ukrainians.

In November 2024, he moved to Ukraine’s Lviv region to start Phoenix, a reintegration center and shelter for displaced persons. It currently hosts up to 48 residents, providing housing, meals, professional and language courses, and psychological support. The center’s operations are funded through foreign donors, grants, and private contributions. Plans are underway to expand the facility to accommodate veterans and their families.

Jay Rivera is available to meet with visitors in the Lviv region, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• Lviv

Currently, several hundred animals are being cared for at the Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv. However, volunteers explain that this is only the beginning of the winter season, and they expect to take in several thousand bats under their care, as they did last year. The bats are brought to the Center from various Ukrainian cities.

There, specialists help the animals survive the winter, a time when bats become vulnerable and require special conditions. Animals needing extra care are fed and treated.

Due to blackouts, the center purchased a generator and an EcoFlow unit because the refrigerators where the bats are kept require constant power.

Since the full-scale war began, the rehabilitation center has increased its operations. Specialists are now focused on bat conservation and scientific research.

Journalists can speak with the Bat Rehabilitation Center coordinator, biologist Alona Shulenko, online or in person in Kharkiv by prior arrangement.

• animals
• blackout
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Before the war, Bohdan’s company in Poltava produced ice cream and frozen foods, such as traditional Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) and syrnyky (cheese pancakes). He had never cooked hot meals or worked in public catering. That all changed in February 2022, when families fleeing the war began arriving in Poltava. Bohdan posted a simple message on social media: “We know how to cook. If anyone needs help, we are ready.”

His company began cooking hot meals with leftover frozen ingredients and distributing them to those in need. Soon, Bohdan had to sell freezers and a delivery van to pay for ingredients and continue feeding people escaping the war. “I was a few days away from shutting down,” he says. “We had no money left, but people still had to eat.” It was then that he learned about World Central Kitchen (WCK).

With their support, Bohdan was able to cook up to 5,000 hot lunches a day and develop a delivery system. His team delivered food to schools, dormitories, and shelters across Poltava. Since 2022, they have prepared over 427,000 meals in partnership with WCK.

What began as emergency food relief has since evolved into Poltavski Pundyky, a food company built on the values WCK tapped into — dignity, care, speed, and community. Today, his team runs five dining spaces across the city. They also still deliver hundreds of free meals daily to those affected by the war. Many employees are internally displaced persons who first came to Poltava after russia’s full-scale invasion. Bohdan’s business is a key emergency partner for WCK and is ready to cook hot meals in the aftermath of missile strikes or other emergencies.

Journalists can speak with Bohdan in Poltava or online, by prior arrangement. Representatives of World Central Kitchen are also available for communication.

• food
• volunteers
• Poltava

Volunteers with the St. Nicholas’s Reindeer project have already received over 1,700 letters. This year, children frequently asked St. Nicholas for power banks so they could charge their phones and stay connected during power outages. The Labubu toy is also among the most popular requests. Children are asking for construction sets, toy cars, books, musical instruments, and balls. Some children have lost their homes due to the war and are asking St. Nicholas for clothes.

Anyone who wishes to can choose a child’s letter and fulfill their wish. Volunteers will deliver the gifts, host a celebration, and provide a photo report. St. Nicholas’s reindeer will visit Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and other regions (the project will cover approximately 50 locations in total).

Many former volunteers have joined the Defense Forces and are now defending Ukraine on the front lines.

Journalists can speak with the campaign organizers in Kharkiv and, if possible, cover the gift distribution process in various regions.

Background: The St. Nicholas’s Reindeer project was founded in Kharkiv in 2016 to support children from communities near the frontlines.

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in Ukraine on December 6.

• children
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, ecologist Vladyslav Mykhailenko taught students at Mechnikov Odessa National University. After February 2022, he began searching for ways to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, a quest that led to the creation of his project, Plastic Saves Lives.

The initiative collects plastic bottle caps, which are then sorted by a team of volunteers to ensure only recyclable material that can be sold is processed. The funds generated from selling the plastic are used to purchase military equipment.

To acquire a single FPV drone, approximately 1.5 tons of caps must be sorted. Since its inception, Plastic Saves Lives has already helped fund an ambulance, two Mavic 3T drones, and three FPV drones.

Anyone can contribute by handing over caps to volunteers in Odesa. Vladyslav Mykhailenko is also available to discuss the project online or in person in Odesa, by prior arrangement.

• ecology
• volunteers
• Odesa

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Maryna Sadykova worked in event management. But after February 24, 2022, her focus shifted entirely — she and her team began volunteering to support Ukrainian troops. The intense pace of that work soon took a toll. Struggling with burnout and anxiety, Sadykova sought peace in the Carpathian Mountains. That personal recovery experience inspired her to launch a mental health initiative for others facing the same strain.

Her organization, the Repower Charity Fund, now runs a psychological support program specifically for military medics and doctors who serve on the front lines. Based in Kyiv, the program offers a 10-day retreat in Sweden designed to help participants restore their emotional resilience and mental well-being.

Since 2022, Repower has organized 17 recovery programs, 16 abroad and one pilot retreat in Ukraine, reaching 1,244 combat medics who have since returned to duty. The foundation continues to expand its retreats and provide ongoing support for those who save lives under fire.

Media representatives and visitors can arrange to meet with Maryna Sadykova, her team, and program participants both online and in person in Kyiv by appointment.

• doctors
• psychological support
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

On November 15 to 16, the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission will travel to Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts (oncology screening).

By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to document the work of the medical volunteers and conduct interviews with patients and doctors.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine’s medical volunteer missions are regular outreach trips by a team of doctors to frontline and remote communities in Ukraine. Each mission includes over 20 specialists in various fields, such as neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, therapists, and dermatologists.

During these missions, the team provides free medical appointments, consultations, and tests for local residents. Recently, the team has also begun conducting oncology screenings to help detect illnesses at their initial stages.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Chernihiv
• Sumy

Before the full-scale invasion, Nataliia Havrylenko was an entrepreneur in Kherson. She was preparing for war and planned to join the Territorial Defense with her beloved. On February 24, 2022, the couple went straight to the military enlistment office. Soon, the Kherson Territorial Defense fighters, of which Nataliia was a member, received weapons. However, they only managed to serve for two days.

Nataliia recalls how a battalion commander entered the office of the newly formed unit, ordered them to lay down their weapons and flee home through the fields, and then left. In that moment, she and her husband, along with the other civilians, realized that they would have to defend their hometown on their own. Thus began the partisan movement in Kherson. Nataliia and her comrades set up a field hospital and established cooperation with the Special Operations Forces.

On July 7, 2022, russians broke into Nataliia’s home, where she was staying with her daughter-in-law, son, and grandson. She was taken to a temporary detention center, where she was held for several months. Although she was not physically tortured, she was interrogated using a polygraph and forced to give an interview to russian propagandists. Nataliia was released on November 1, 2022, without documents, money, or a phone.

Today, she continues her volunteer work supporting Ukrainian military personnel.

Nataliia Havrylenko is currently in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. She is available for interviews, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.

• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Dnipro
• Kherson

Viktoriia Kramarenko worked at a burn center in Kyiv from 2008. When russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, she began volunteering, traveling to the east to help save and evacuate wounded soldiers from the front lines.

Starting in 2015, Viktoriia officially served as a medic with military units, deploying on rotations to the front lines. In 2018, she founded the Wings of Victory charitable foundation.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, Viktoriia began teaching tactical medicine to new recruits immediately. Once she acquired an ambulance, she began evacuating the wounded from Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel. Subsequently, she worked near Lysychansk in the Luhansk region, assisting Ukrainian fighters in hospitals.

Through her foundation, Viktoriia launched a rehabilitation and recovery program for military personnel, purchasing sports equipment and setting up a swimming pool. They even bought a horse for hippotherapy. Viktoriia is currently applying for grants to secure financial aid and continue her work with service members.

Viktoriia Kramarenko is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.

• doctors
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

The NGO Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is launching a two-week volunteer camp in the village of Byshiv, Kyiv region, where volunteers from Ukraine and abroad will collaborate with local youth to create a new community space. The initiative aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and inspiring environment to replace what was lost during the early days of the full-scale war.

In 2022, the community found itself on the front line – some nearby villages were occupied, and Byshiv suffered extensive destruction due to its proximity to heavy fighting. The community lost many key institutions, including the House of Culture. Since then, young people have had no dedicated place to gather, learn, or socialize outside of school.

To respond to this need, BUR and the Byshiv community will convert a room into a proper youth space. This will become a hub for learning, creativity, and community life.

The youth space is being created during two BUR camp sessions, with the second running from October 26 to November 2, 2025. 

For reference: Building Ukraine Together (BUR) is an all-Ukrainian non-governmental organization that engages young people in volunteer activities and non-formal education, empowering them to take part in building a democratic Ukraine.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv