Themes by tag: volunteers

A 54-year-old Yevhen Tkachov has been evacuating people from the frontline cities and towns of Donetsk Oblast for more than 9 years. In particular, after February 24, 2022, Yevhen traveled to Bakhmut, Siversk, and Soledar. The man also delivers humanitarian aid to people in hot spots. He also takes care of animals, as he is a veterinary specialist. 

A few years before the full-blown war, he founded a hospice for older adults in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region. This hospice care was destroyed by the invaders at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Patients had to be placed in the Khmelnytskyi region. The hospice for the elderly seniors is supported by Yevhen’s family, including his son.

• animals
• casualties
• volunteers
• evacuation

Bozhena Hrynko pursued a dental specialty such as orthodontics, but she wasn’t committed to dentistry for long. Instead, she started her own business, dealing with recyclables. With the full-scale invasion outbreak, she moved her family to the Zhytomyr region, and after the de-occupation of Bucha and Irpin, she returned to the capital. Bozhena’s husband has been in the military since February 24, 2022, as he is a career soldier.

In the spring of 2022, Bozhena mobilized to the 44th Separate Rifle Battalion as the head of the medical service and medical center. On December 12, 2022, Bozhena got injured in the Donetsk region. She stayed four months in hospitals.

Bozhena and her husband bought a house in the Kharkiv region, where new homeowners settled with their daughter after her injury and rehabilitation. The military woman gives free lectures and practical classes on tactical medicine and handling explosive ordnance at the local lyceum. Next to the Bozhena housing, there is a vacant undeveloped land where she, her husband, and fellow soldiers plan to start a rehabilitation center for the military.

• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• women

On December 5, on Volunteering Day, journalists have the opportunity to visit the rapid response headquarters of the VETERANKA Women’s Veteran Movement. In particular, there will be a meeting with influencers, who constantly support the movement, as well as with defenders and famous Ukrainians.

In addition, the program includes: a tour of the headquarters featuring the explanation of the movement’s activities. Visitors can also try their hand weaving camouflage nets and kikimora camouflage suits, as well as sewing women’s military uniforms and putting together a package for the front.

For reference: The headquarters of the Women’s Veteran Movement is special in that it was created on the first day of the full-scale invasion. The movement successfully raised money to pay for 5,000 individual and collective requests from the front and IDP women. Their aid to the army is worth UAH 70 million (drones, cars, uniforms, body armor, etc.)

• military
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Volunteer journalists, professional chess players and the VETERANKA movement decided to organize a charity fundraiser called “Well-Aimed Fundraiser” to help Ukrainian snipers. The purpose of the fundraiser is to buy additional ammunition for the military, as there is a constant shortage of it.

The fund raiser will feature a charity chess tournament, which the organizers dedicate to the memory of chess players-warriors who died in the russo-Ukrainian war. Some of them include: Artem Sachuk, Oleksandr Hoshylyk, Mykhailo Safonov, Roman Khytrych, Serhii Mazurov, Oleksii Druzhynets, Andrii Melnychuk, Roman Buzinskyi, Andrii Chepil, Oleksandr Brivko, Andrii Vovchenko, Heorhii Promskyi, Mykola Hapchyn (MIA).

The tournament will consist of two stages: online (December 3) and offline: super final (December 9, in Kyiv).

Special guests include: soldiers — Lesia Lytvynova and Yevhen Shybalov, journalist Andriy Kulykov, blogger Denys Kazansky, military officer and writer Mykhailo Brynykh.

The winner of the chess tournament will receive a custom-made cyberpunk themed chess set made by veteran artist Vitalii Bernatskyi. Parts of the russian Su-25 shot down in Kherson region in 2022 were used to make the chess set.

Journalists are welcome to learn more about the event and, in particular, cover the super final on December 9. 

• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

The Save Ukraine charitable organization and its partners have installed modular houses as part of the Fort Home project for people displaced from their homes by war. The modular housing is available in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi regions. Currently, 117 Ukrainian families have settled in the modular homes.

Despite their small size (20 square meters), these modular homes are of good quality and have all the necessary living conditions for families to feel comfortable and cozy. These are dwellings with water supply, heating systems, a generator/air conditioner, a fully equipped kitchen, and household appliances. Housing is provided free of charge and for a long-term period. The residents receive monthly humanitarian and medical assistance.

Journalists can learn more about the Fort Home project and talk to the residents of the modular homes, whenever possible. 

• casualties
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Student Azad Mamedov founded the “FrontPower” project: along with other volunteers they make power banks for the military out of used disposable e-cigarettes.

About 25 batteries from disposable e-cigarettes are needed to make one such power bank. The case for the power bank is printed on a 3D printer. The final product is a 20,000 mAh power bank.

People send single-use e-cigarettes by mail or drop them off at special collection points.

The team has already managed to produce a total of 20 power banks and send them to the front.

For reference: The project is implemented by volunteers in partnership with the Department of Youth Policy and National Patriotic Education, the Dnipro Youth Council, and “Department of Good Affairs” Charitable Foundation.

• volunteers
• Dnipro

Viktoriia Samiilenko is a native of Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast. Before the full-scale invasion, she was in charge of a civic organization in her hometown. After the outbreak of the great war, Viktoriia decided to leave Volnovakha and move to her son’s house in Vinnytsia. Here, she could not sit idly by and took up civic engagement activities again. Viktoriia attended various events for IDPs, met IDPs, created a joint online chat, and later founded her own Chest of Ideas and Actions NGO. 

Viktoriia’s husband, a soldier, asked her to knit him socks. This prompted a woman to unite IDPs so that they could help Ukrainian defenders, in particular, knit warm clothes for them. At first, these items were sent to the brigade, Viktoriia’s husband a staff of. Later, the woman teamed up with other volunteers for socks from IDPs to reach different units.

• volunteers
• women
• Vinnytsia

The Russian-Ukrainian war affected Hanna Samotey back in 2014. It was the first time her husband went to the front lines to defend Ukraine, and she became a volunteer. Together with the other soldier’s wives, Hanna founded the “Big Heart” public organization in the Odesa region.

Later, the women rented the premises of a village school, put it in order, and set up a gym, a children’s playroom, and a billiard room. This is how the Center for Recreation and Rehabilitation of ATO (Joint Forces Operation) Participants were born.

With the full-scale war outbreak, Hanna’s husband and her eldest son mobilized to the Defense Forces, and she took up volunteering again. The recreation and rehabilitation center for soldiers has turned into a volunteer hub. Here, they weave camouflage nets, sew “kikimora” masking covers with their own technology, roll cigarettes, and package honey vitamin smoothies for the military. After the victory, Hanna plans to engage in military rehabilitation again and scale up the Center.

• volunteers
• women
• Odesa

Mariia Lutsak is a seamstress from Ivano-Frankivsk region, who founded the first co-sewing space in her region. Mariia set up two directions of work: one is volunteers who sew warm clothes for the Ukrainian military, and the other is craftswomen who create fashion collections for sale.

After the full-scale invasion began, Mariia saw the need for warm clothing for the Defense Forces and managed to unite the women of her community to sew clothes for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Women worked even during a blackout, using flashlights as sources of light.

Eventually, Mariia decided that it was worth scaling up production and making underwear for the military as well. The woman received a grant from the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, so now she has special sewing machines for sewing underwear. 

• volunteers
• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk

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