Themes by tag: volunteers

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

Chujo Hideto is a 42-year-old businessman from Japan. He came to Ukraine in the spring of 2022 and has been volunteering ever since. In particular, in Dnipro, Chudjo contributed financially to the creation of a shelter for forcibly displaced persons. The Japanese man lives in this facility, and helps adults and children staying there.

The volunteer also took part in rescue operations in Kherson region after the occupiers blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. And recently he bought power generators, power banks and boats for the local rescuers.

Chujo is the founder of the “Smile” charitable foundation, which supports children traumatized by the war. Wearing a Pikachu outfit, the Japanese man gives positive emotions to children and brings them gifts.

Journalists have the opportunity to talk to the volunteer (online or in person). Chujo Hideto does not speak English, he communicates with the help of translation software.

• casualties
• children
• volunteers
• Dnipro

Olha Pometun, a resident of Kamianka, Dnipropetrovsk oblast, is 37 years old. She was born with brittle bone disease. This is a congenital disease, when the bones are very fragile and break easily. In addition, in childhood, the woman suffered an injury that stopped her growth. Despite all the difficulties, Olha did not lose her passion for living. She took driving courses, bought a car and converted it to her own needs. In addition, she learned to swim and even wrote a motivational book.

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Olha took up volunteering. In her native Kamianka, the woman founded the United by Good Charitable Foundation. Currently, Olha’s team consists of seven people, all of whom are IDPs. They help the military, as well as civilians who need support. Since it was founded, the team has managed to help more than 10,000 Ukrainian families.

• volunteers
• women
• Dnipro

Journalists are welcome to visit shelters for the unhoused elderly people (including those with disabilities) in Prybirsk and Hornostaipil in Kyiv Oblast together with the Yulyni Babusi (Yulia’s Grandmothers) charity foundation. To get seniors into the New Year’s Eve spirit, they will be given gifts: candy, cookies, tea, coffee, warm socks, blankets, knitting and embroidery kits. They will also receive greeting cards and letters written by caring Ukrainians.

Anyone willing could join the charity event and make a gift pack for the elderly in the shelters run by the foundation.

For reference: Yulia Karpova, a morning show radio host, founded the Yulyni Babusi charity foundation, which benefits senior citizens. The foundation’s slogan is: “There are no cooler grandchildren for older people than you and me.” Currently, they run 7 shelters in the Kyiv region (including in settlements affected by the occupation), Zhytomyr, and Dnipro regions. In total, the benefactors have more than five hundred children in need of care.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

Serhii Sidorov was 22 years old when he got into a terrible car wreck. Due to injuries, the man was paralyzed, and he also lost his sight: he could only tell the difference between night and day. Professional massage helped Serhii to recover: the man began to move again and learn to walk again. Later, he himself became interested in massage, which brought him back to life. Serhii graduated and started helping patients in the capital 8 years ago.

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Serhii looked for an opportunity to help the military, because due to the injury he had suffered, he could not join the army himself. The man posted on social media calling on the military to contact him for free massage and rehabilitation. Since then, Serhii has helped more than 30 defenders.

• casualties
• military
• volunteers

Mykhailo Puryshev is an entrepreneur from Mariupol. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Mykhailo brought humanitarian aid to besieged Mariupol and evacuated Mariupol residents from the russian-blocked city. After the de-occupation of Kharkiv region, Mykhailo was one of the first volunteers to bring humanitarian aid to Izyum, Kupyansk, and Kivsharivka.

After months of providing aid in hot spots, Mykhailo and his team decided that the support should be comprehensive: people living under constant shelling, in dark basements, without communication, without healthcare and shops, without electricity and water, need a place where they can get everything they need. Therefore, Invincibility Centers were set up in seven settlements near the front line. The first three centers were built in Bakhmut until the city was razed to the ground and occupied by the russians. Then such centers were built in Orikhiv, Huliaipole, Kherson, Avdiivka and Vuhledar. In the Invincibility Centers, people can use electricity for the first time in many months, eat hot food, receive humanitarian and medical aid, wash clothes and take a shower. In addition, they can watch Ukrainian television, instead of listening to russian radio in the basements. And thanks to Starlink, they have an Internet connection to call their relatives. In some places, a team of volunteers even drilled wells, so that local residents could have access to water.

In addition, the volunteers noticed that the defenders coming from advanced frontline positions have nowhere to wash their dirty clothes and repair them for free. Hence, the idea of setting up laundry facilities for the military emerged. The first such facility has already started working in Kostyantynivka, the second one opened in Kurakhove in Donetsk region. Ukrainian defenders can bring clothes to the center, and they will be washed, dried and even repaired free of charge.

The team plans to equip such laundry centers along the entire front line. So that defenders don’t have to look for a place to wash clothes and can rest while the volunteers do it.

Mykhailo recently experienced a second heart attack and artery stenting, but despite this he returned to volunteering.

Journalists are welcome to communicate with Mykhailo and his Unbroken team both offline and online, as well as cover the work of volunteers.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• volunteers

Volunteers of “Brave to Rebuild” project created a wall calendar for the year 2024 with the participation of men who actively volunteered in community work in Kyiv region. (In particular, they cleared the rubble, laid communication lines, repaired houses damaged as a result of russia’s full-scale invasion). The calendar will also include photos of foreign volunteers.

According to the organizers’ design, this calendar is a reminder that it is still important to work hard to volunteer and help each other in 2024.

Pre-orders for “Brave Calendar” are already open (at the cost of a donation of UAH 300). Proceeds will go towards the purchase of tools and materials that volunteers will use for community work in 2024.

Journalists can talk to people involved in making the calendar and to volunteers who took part in the photo shoot. Currently, the calendar is in the production stage.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

On December 15, a charity table tennis tournament called Drone Pong will be held in Kyiv. The tournament is intended for amateurs. The competition will be held in the form of an elimination tournament, and each participant will be able play against at least 2 opponents.

The purpose of the charity event is to collect UAH 380,000 for 2 Mavic 3T drones for the 411th battalion of unmanned aircraft serving along the Tavria axis.

The entrance ticket to Drone Pong costs UAH 660, since December 15 will mark exactly 660 days since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Journalists are welcome to learn more about the event and cover the tournament.

For reference: Drone Pong is organized by Hurkit charity fund. This is a team of volunteers who have been helping military personnel, medics, and civilians since the beginning of the full-scale war.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

On December 10, in Kyiv, Plast will hold the first official event in Ukraine to transfer the Light of Bethlehem to the military, civil and volunteer organizations. In particular, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “Come back Alive” Foundation, the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, BUR, ULA and many others will receive a lamp with the Light from the Holy Land.

Plast scouts will receive a lamp with the Light of Bethlehem at a traditional scouting ceremony in Vienna on the morning of December 10 and will immediately take it to Kyiv. The event in the capital will begin with a marathon of good deeds for the military. Plast scouts and guests will make trench candles, helmets, bracelets and letters. Then this winter’s first official transfer of the Peace Light of Bethlehem in Ukraine will begin: Plast will share the Light with everyone present.

Later, through Ukrzaliznytsia, it will be distributed to all corners of the country. Lamps will also be delivered for defenders at the front lines.

Background: Plast has been participating in the “scout relay” of the Bethlehem Light for more than 30 years.

• culture
• military
• religion
• volunteers

Since the beginning russia’s full-scale invasion, the World Central Kitchen team has been working in various cities of Ukraine. Currently, they cook food for people in Kharkiv oblast (in particular, Vovchansk and Kupyansk districts), Chernihiv oblast, Sumy oblast, Kramatorsk, Kherson, Kyiv oblast (Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, Horenka), Lviv shelters, etc. Despite the danger, the team works in front-line towns: they provide hot meals (the menu is developed by chefs) and food kits.

By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover how the team works.

For reference: World Central Kitchen is a non-profit non-governmental organization that provides food to victims of natural disasters and other types of disasters. WCK was founded in 2010 by celebrity chef Jose Andres, who along with his team cooked after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

• casualties
• food
• volunteers