Themes by tag: volunteers

Since 2014, Dmytro Lozhenko, a Kharkiv resident, has been helping people with limited mobility, the elderly, prisoners, and individuals struggling with alcohol or drug addiction.

In Kharkiv, Dmytro established shelters for those he supported. When the full-scale invasion began, the people he had helped became volunteers themselves, initially focusing on evacuation and reconstruction efforts. Through his NGO, “I Am Saved,” over 40,000 people have been evacuated from frontline areas and more than 5,000 homes have had their roofs and windows repaired.

Recently, Dmytro and his volunteers started a new initiative involving free salvage operations in Kharkiv’s war-damaged buildings scheduled for demolition. They carefully collect personal belongings and transport them to storage facilities where items are kept until owners can retrieve them for their new homes.

Dmytro Lozhenko is available for interviews online or in person in Kharkiv by prior arrangement.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kharkiv
• evacuation

A herd of nineteen horses and foals remains at an abandoned equestrian complex in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, where stable hand Oleksii Boliukh, unpaid and undeterred, has been caring for them since the owner fled during the russian occupation.

The facility, once a bustling hub for equestrian sports, was left without management in 2022. Its owner disappeared just a day before Ukrainian forces reclaimed the territory. With no one left to oversee the complex, Boliukh stayed behind, feeding and tending to the animals amid shelling and shortages.

When the full-scale invasion began, there were 28 horses at the complex. They endured months of bombardment, occupation, and hunger. Some were wounded. Lacking proper nutrition and care, the animals’ survival depended on the resolve of Boliukh and the help of a few volunteers, including a local community police officer.

Now, more than three years into the war, the herd has shrunk, some horses have been evacuated to safer areas, but 19 still remain. Several were born during the fighting, under the thunder of nearby artillery. The surviving animals are under legal arrest, as criminal proceedings have been launched against the absentee owner, who left them without proper documentation.

Volunteer Robert Sargsyan has become one of Boliukh’s most crucial allies. He built a stable 60 kilometers away from the abandoned complex and has been helping evacuate and care for the horses, ensuring they receive food, shelter, and medical treatment.

Despite the chaos of war and the legal limbo surrounding the horses’ status, Boliukh and Sargsyan continue their efforts to protect the animals. 

Interviews with Oleksii Boliukh and Robert Sargsyan are available in person by prior arrangement.

• animals
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kharkiv
• evacuation

In 2018, Olena Nabokova and a group of friends founded the NGO Ukrainian Womanity in Zaporizhia. At the time, she was also the sole caregiver for her son Sasha, who lived with bronchial asthma. In 2020, Sasha, then 17, went to bed one night and never woke up. Devastated by the loss, Olena turned to a psychiatrist for support, unable to cope on her own.

When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Olena was still in her hometown of Zaporizhia. She immediately began volunteering, transforming her apartment into a hub and storage space for humanitarian aid. “We gathered medicine, batteries for hearing aids, food, hygiene items, anything people with health conditions might need,” she recalls.

As it became clear that the war would not end quickly, Olena expanded her efforts. She launched a Center for Children and Women in Difficult Circumstances. Over time, the focus shifted from emergency relief to long-term support, offering training sessions and educational programs for both adults and children.

Now studying to become a positive psychotherapy therapist, Olena continues her work with renewed purpose. Meetings with her are available both online and in person in Zaporizhia, by appointment.

• casualties
• volunteers
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Lutsk resident Tetiana Pototska had been originally running a travel agency that specialized in organizing pilgrimage trips abroad until February 2022, Tetiana shifted her focus when the full-scale invasion began. Moved by a friend’s inability to transport her father’s body from Kharkiv to Lutsk, Tetiana stepped in to assist and has since been tirelessly evacuating fallen soldiers’ remains and transporting them to morgues.

Beyond her duties in retrieving the fallen, Tetiana extends her aid to Ukrainians trapped in occupied regions, particularly those with limited mobility, helping them return to government-controlled territory. Additionally, she devotes herself to caring for the children of fallen defenders, arranging celebratory events and outings to the seaside for them.

Through her volunteer efforts, more than 50 individuals with amputations, including civilians, women and children among them, as well as military personnel have been transported to Poland, where they received free prosthetic care through an international initiative.

Those wishing to interview Tetiana can reach her both offline in Lutsk or through online channels. She is gearing up for another journey to Eastern Ukraine soon.

• dead
• volunteers
• women
• Lutsk
• evacuation

Andrii Novosad is a physical therapist by profession, though he had never worked in the field. When the full-scale invasion began, he started volunteering by making Molotov cocktails and weaving camouflage nets for the military.

One day, a friend who worked at a rehabilitation center called Andrii to tell him about the shortage of specialists working with severely wounded soldiers. Without hesitation, Andrii began working as a physical therapist. While working, he saw a soldier who had lost both hands being fed by his wife. This inspired Andrii to start thinking about adaptive devices that could help the wounded eat independently.

He discussed the problem with his parents, who are engineers and manufacture rehabilitation equipment. Together, they developed a prototype of adaptive tableware and gave it to soldiers for testing. The design includes two types of special cuffs — one with a fork and one with a spoon. Soldiers can put on and take off these utensils without assistance.

Currently, Andrii and his family provide them free of charge to those with double amputations or anyone in need.

You can contact Andrii Novosad online or in person in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• Lviv

Agnieszka has worked as a guide in the Biebrza National Park in Poland for 15 years. The woman has 4 children (the youngest is 5 years old, and the oldest is 26). When russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Agnieszka sheltered more than 20 refugees from Ukraine in her apartment in Poland. Particularly, she gave shelter to families with children. People had lived there for several months before they managed to rebuild their lives a little by finding a job or starting to study.

Later, Agnieszka started visiting Ukraine herself: first as a driver for another volunteer, and later she began taking aid to the front. She was in the hottest spots: the Kupiansk, Zaporizhia, Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar sectors. The soldiers she helps have already become her friends. Agnieszka knows who likes coffee and who will be happy to receive candy. She delivers a wide range of supplies to the front, including food, medical equipment, clothing, sleeping bags, and charging stations.

Agnieszka is currently en route to Ukraine and is available for interviews with journalists by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• women

On May 17–18, the FRIDA Ukraine medical mission will travel to one of the communities in the Sumy region, where the team is scheduled to work in two villages.

The mission includes more than 20 specialists, among them a nephrologist, dermatologist, ultrasound specialist, gynecologist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, vascular surgeon, neurologist, and psychologists.

Local residents will have access to consultations with these specialists, undergo medical examinations, receive professional recommendations, and obtain essential medications.

FRIDA Ukraine previously visited this community in February. The upcoming mission offers a chance to follow up on treatments, adjust prescribed medications if needed, and examine new patients.

Journalists are welcome to join the mission and cover the visit by prior arrangement.

For reference: FRIDA Ukraine is a volunteer medical mission uniting doctors from both Ukraine and abroad. The team travels to frontline and war-affected regions, setting up mobile outpatient clinics and providing free medical care to civilians. FRIDA Ukraine also supports children, including orphans; helps evacuate critically ill patients; and offers mental health services.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Sumy

Marta Partem works in the IT sector. In the early days of the full-scale war, she and her colleagues organized the evacuation of refugees abroad, bought first-aid kits for soldiers, and later focused on the purchase of drones and electronic warfare systems. In total, the young woman has raised over three million hryvnia to support the Ukrainian defenders.

Through her volunteer work, Marta visited a military hospital in Lviv, where she learned that many soldiers did not have a vyshyvanka (traditional embroidered shirt). Together with her friend Oksana Brynzak, she decided to launch the “United by Vyshyvanka” initiative — a project for those who want to give embroidered shirts to soldiers as a token of gratitude for their service.

Marta shares that for many soldiers, these gifted vyshyvankas are the first they have ever received. She encourages those who wish to participate to send her their own or newly purchased embroidered shirts, which she will then deliver to the troops. The volunteer is also collecting donations to purchase vyshyvankas for the soldiers.

You can contact Marta Partem online or meet her offline in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• culture
• volunteers
• women
• Lviv

Danger, a white Toy Poodle from Israel, is more than just a companion, he’s a vital part of the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission, supporting efforts to save lives across the war-torn regions of Ukraine. Since the outset of the all-out invasion, Danger has joined volunteer teams on the ground, traveling extensively from Bakhmut to the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. and has even come under fire multiple times. Outfitted in a branded hoodie bearing the word “Volunteer,” he also has an Instagram account that offers a glimpse into his work on field missions.

His owner, Mark Neviazhskyi, a volunteer from Israel and later a co-founder of FRIDA Ukraine, named the dog during his energetic puppyhood. To keep him out of harm’s way, Mark would often say, “No, it’s dangerous,” – a phrase that eventually inspired the name “Danger.”

Now serving as a true emotional support animal, Danger plays a key role in helping patients open up and easing anxiety among those affected by the war. He is especially impactful during visits to orphanages, where his presence brings comfort and joy.

Journalists can meet Danger in Kyiv or accompany him during scheduled field missions, with prior arrangements. Interviews with his owner, Mark Neviazhskyi, are also available, along with access to photos and videos documenting Danger’s involvement in humanitarian efforts.

For reference: The organization is a volunteer medical mission composed of doctors from both Ukraine and abroad. The team operates in frontline and heavily affected areas, setting up mobile outpatient clinics to provide free medical care to civilians. Their services include pediatric care, particularly for orphans, the evacuation of critically ill patients, and mental health support.

• animals
• doctors
• volunteers
• Kyiv

At the beginning of the full-scale war, members of the Kyiv Municipal Cruising Yacht Club made trench candles and wove camouflage nets. Later, together with warfighters, they designed special medical stretchers using sailcloth as a material, which is durable, waterproof and resistant to friction. The stretchers are now manufactured on a regular basis: they are lightweight and compact.  

Many club members joined this initiative. Sailcloth is provided by sailors from yacht clubs all over Ukraine. Sailors from Poland and Slovenia have also sent their sails for the production of stretchers.

By prior arrangement, journalists can speak with club members and cover their work in Kyiv.

For reference: Kyiv Municipal Cruising Yacht Club is the oldest active yacht club in the capital (a non-profit sailing organization).

As a reminder, the club has launched a free sailing course for military personnel and veterans. Journalists can cover the practical training.

• culture
• volunteers
• Kyiv