Themes by tag: volunteers

With the onset of the full-blown war, Ihor Kazio, a dentist with 15 years of experience, decided to stay in the capital and help the citizens. Ihor, his father, and brother, who belong to the same profession, provided free-of-charge services when the Russian military convoy closed in on the capital and most medical facilities in Kyiv were closed.

After the invaders were driven out of the Kyiv region, Ihor started looking for ways to help the military who could not leave the front line to see a dentist. This is how the Kazo Mobile Dental project—mobile dentistry in a mobile setting that helps soldiers near the front line, was born. A team of doctors ready to work in the frontline regions was assembled quite quickly: specialists from different cities responded to the call. Each of their trips lasts at least two weeks. Kazo Mobile Dental has already made three visits to the frontline regions and performed dental treatment for more than a thousand soldiers. Now the team is preparing for their next trip, which will take place on February 8.

For reference: Kazo Mobile Dental is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• doctors
• military
• volunteers

The Safe Sky Charitable Foundation was founded after a Ukraine International Airlines passenger flight was shot down near Tehran, Iran, on January 8, 2020. Since then, the organization has been taking care of the families of those killed in the plane crash.

On February 24, 2022, the volunteers made a pivot to help Kharkiv, which suffers from constant shelling by the occupiers. In particular, in December 2023, they assembled a “Rapid Response Team”—a team of those who cared, who proceeded immediately to the utility services workers’ assistance. “The Rapid Response Team” operates in places of the enemy missile hit and, together with the emergency services, eliminates the consequences of the shelling. In particular, they dismantle rubble, board up windows and doors with special plates, and repair roofs. In addition, the volunteers provide humanitarian assistance and mental health and psychological support to the affected Kharkiv residents. Currently, the team consists of about 20 people, and in total, there are more than 150 volunteers from various humanitarian organizations working on cleanup at a damaged facility site. 

For reference: February 24, 2024, Ukraine marks 2 years since Russia commenced its unprovoked criminal full-scale invasion. This attack was the culmination of the initial war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 10 years. This armed conflict was ignited on February 20, 2014. Back then, Russians invaded the territory of Ukrainian Crimea giving no obvious sign of its covert military operation in the now-occupied peninsula. After that, Russia started a war in Ukraine’s east. 

• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Anastasiia Ovcharenko worked with her husband in the IT industry in Kharkiv. The couple were raising a daughter.

When the big war started the family found themselves in their hometown. On the night of February 24, Anastasiia heard the explosions of russian rockets. The woman has been volunteering since March. Together with her husband, Anastasiia has set up fundraisers for the army and taken care of military vehicles.

On January 23, 2024, an enemy missile hit Anastasiia’s apartment. That morning, the couple had to go to Kyiv to take a military car to a workshop. The first explosions happened at 4 AM, so they asked their daughter to also go out to the car with them. Anastasiia and her family were around the corner from their house when a russian missile hit the building. Even after they lost their home, the Ovcharenkos did not abandon the military vehicle, but brought it to Kyiv as planned. And in a few days, they delivered the vehicle to the military in the East.

Anastasiia says that even despite the loss of a roof over their heads, the family will continue to volunteer and work for the Armed Forces, because only the Defense Forces will be able to stop the occupiers.

For reference: February 24, 2024 marks 2 years since the beginning of russia’s illegal full-scale invasion. The attack marked the culmination of the war of aggression, which the russian federation had been waging against Ukraine for 10 years at that point. This war began on February 20, 2014 when the russians invaded the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea without identification marks and occupied the peninsula. After that, russia started a war in the East of Ukraine.

• casualties
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• women
• Kharkiv

“Behind Blue Eyes” is a charity project encouraging children from de-occupied and front-line villages of Ukraine to film their lives on disposable film cameras, and in return, ordinary people can fulfill the wishes of young creators. The project’s team travels the country to support children’s ability to dream, despite the traumatic experience of war, and to show that creativity can be a powerful tool to make those dreams come true.

Project participants receive film cameras for a week to take pictures of whatever they want. Then the children return the film with photos to the team along with their wishlists. “Behind Blue Eyes” publishes children’s photos along with their stories on the project’s platforms, and everyone can reward the authors of the photos by choosing something from their wishlists.

For reference: “Behind Blue Eyes” project was created almost two years ago. It was created by a team of volunteers who initially took care of de-occupied villages in Chernihiv oblast. Since the project was founded, 96 children have participated in it. They have taken more than 2,500 unique photos.

• children
• volunteers

Yuriy Zhytnikov is a volunteer from Poltava region, who single-handedly assembles kamikaze drones for the front-line military from his home. When the man became interested in the production of these weapons, he had neither specialized training nor the necessary skills to do it. In the summer of 2023, Yuriy began studying drone design and watching videos on social networks to understand how they work, but he was not ready to assemble them himself. Later, the volunteer saw an advertisement for “People’s Drone” training program by Victory Drones. This is a free engineering course that offers to teach anyone to assemble a 7-inch FPV drone at home. The man bought the necessary tools and started a three-week course in November.

Yuriy resoldered his first kamikaze drone as many as 4 times, because at that point the volunteer had never held a soldering iron in his hands. The man assembled the second drone in a day. Yuriy admits that the best motivation for his work is positive feedback from the military.

• volunteers

70-year-old Olha is a teacher who takes care of 5 adopted children. Her husband is severely ill.

The village in the Kherson region where the family lived was occupied by Russia since the beginning of its full-scale invasion. The woman was living in fear of enemy military might separate her from her children, as her daughter and sons were adoptees. They managed to flee life under occupation only on the third attempt.

Now the family lives in a rented apartment. However, Olha’s brother helped them buy a plot of land in the Kyiv region. Dobrobat volunteers assisted in constructing new housing for the family. It will be a one-story eco-house made of wood. They will start building it with the onset of warm weather.

For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division helping those affected to restore housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.

• casualties
• children
• occupation
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Artur Bukevych has spent almost all his life at a hair salon, at first, as his mother used to bring her kid to a place she’d been doing her job as a hairdresser and then as he started his first barbershop in Khmelnytskyi.

In 2023, an acquaintance invited Artur to give a cut and a face shave to the military personnel at the front. Since then, the barber has been visiting the military at the front every month for frequent services. It takes him about 20 hours to cater, so he stays with the military for several days to refresh the haircut for as many soldiers as possible. In addition to haircuts, Arthur says he creates relaxing grooming sessions for the soldiers: the place where he works smells of lavender and plays music.

The barber shop Arthur opened in Khmelnytskyi is running. The business donates its income to the military. In particular, before the New Year, the barber bought and brought a Starlink satellite system to the front line for military use.

• military
• volunteers

In 2023, pizzaiolo Vitalii Koloshytsia launched the Military Chef project. The chef made a mobile oven on wheels that could be attached to a car so it would be possible to cook pizza in the field. Vitalii first tested his oven in Kyiv region, and later went to soldiers at the front lines.

Since the beginning of the project, Vitalii has also founded his own charitable foundation, which he also named “Military Chef.” And he also prepared more than 3,000 pizzas for the Ukrainian military. All expenses for such things as ingredients and car repairs are paid by the man himself out of his own pocket. He visits the front line 1-2 times a month.

With the help of the charitable fund, Vitalii plans to enlist the support of concerned citizens and expand the project: build several more mobile ovens and buy another car that can withstand longer distances.

• food
• military
• volunteers

Benjamin is a lawyer from Dusseldorf, Germany. Since the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he has been assisting the Ukrainian people. A few days ago, when the Russians struck the center of Kharkiv, at that very moment Ben was 50 meters away from the hit. But despite all he’s been through, the man still continues to engage in volunteering in Ukraine.

At one time, the German man sheltered a family from Kyiv in his own home. He also brought about 50 tons of aid to Ukrainian cities and villages. Benjamin collects and brings clothes, medicines, equipment, and water purification systems, while the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation coordinates humanitarian assistance efforts where there is particularly acute shortage. 

In addition, Benjamin repaired and equipped a room for children’s education and leisure in a dormitory for IDPs in Kharkiv.

Benjamin is currently in Kyiv and is planning to visit Lviv and Kharkiv. There is an opportunity for journalists to interview a volunteer.

• volunteers
• Kharkiv
• Kyiv

Oleksandra Chernomashyntseva was born and raised in Donetsk. The girl moved to Kyiv when russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014. And in 2018, Oleksandra went to the Czech Republic, where she entered the theater academy to study scenography.

When the full-scale invasion began, Oleksandra, who was still abroad, became a volunteer. The girl helped her compatriots evacuated by “Baza UA” NGO to settle in a new place.

Last December, Oleksandra returned to her native Donetsk region. She helped with the evacuation of Bakhmut residents and worked with local children in the bomb shelter. Since March 2023, Oleksandra has joined the team of the “Baza UA” NGO in full. And in August, she and her team set up a cultural space for teenagers called Terykon in Kramatorsk. Terykon provides a platform for artistic expression, including drawing, sculpting, and photography. Future plans include introducing programming, animation, and English lessons. Additionally, Terykon aims to offer psychological support to those in need.

• volunteers