Themes by tag: volunteers

A team of beauty industry professionals will visit one of the de-occupied villages in Mykolaiv region on September 10. The beauty volunteers will give free haircuts and massages and do eyebrows to the villagers.

For reference, the idea of beauty volunteering belongs to makeup artist Olha Belytska. Together with like-minded people, Olha comes to the de-occupied settlements of the Kyiv region, as well as to the other areas of the country, to help people who have faced the horrors of the occupation feel beautiful again.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Mykolaiv

In Kharkiv region, the Kharlamov family (mother Halyna, father Serhii, and son Yevhen) were evacuating people from under shelling since the beginning of the full-scale war. They became the founders of “Volunteer-68 Humanitarian Aid Center” NGO.

In particular, the volunteer family helped evacuate people across the Pechenihy dam in 2022, when part of Kharkiv region was still under occupation. Halyna recalls that it took people 5-6 hours to get to this dam alone, getting through more than 20 enemy checkpoints. Women with children, elderly people were completely exhausted. Almost every woman cried after reaching a safe place. And after the liberation of the region, “Volunteer-68” team drove into populated areas in ambulances and picked up people with limited mobility as well as everyone else who wanted to evacuate.

Recently, “Volunteer-68 Humanitarian Aid Center” NGO and Vostok-SOS Charitable Foundation initiated the opening of a temporary shelter in Kharkiv for low-mobility population groups and people with disabilities who are being evacuated from front-line communities.

For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv region was completely de-occupied.

• casualties
• occupation
• volunteers
• Kharkiv
• evacuation

Before becoming a farmer, Natalia Koval taught at the Kharkiv National University of Economics. In 2011, her husband suggested starting a farm and Natalia agreed. In 2022, their family farm in one of the villages of Kharkiv region had more than three hundred cows and 12 employees. With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the farm was occupied.

Families with children remained in the village, and the farm became their salvation. After all, milk was distributed there for free, as well as bread baked by farm employees. The farm had its own generator, and thus electricity. Sometimes one could even catch a mobile connection there.

Occupiers took Natalia’s husband “to the basement,” he miraculously managed to get out. Today, the farm is recovering after all the horrors it experienced.

For reference: on September 6, 2022, Ukrainian troops launched a major counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. Subsequently, Kharkiv region was completely de-occupied.

• animals
• occupation
• volunteers
• women
• Kharkiv

On September 2-3, volunteers of the Brave to Rebuild project will be dismantling the rubble of buildings destroyed by the all-out invasion of Russia. They will work in Irpin, Horenka, and Hostomel in the Kyiv region: 

For reference: The Brave to Rebuild project aims to help residents of the de-occupied territories of Ukraine. Volunteers are restoring housing and social institutions damaged as a result of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine. Volunteers from Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia are also involved in the project. 

• volunteers
• Kyiv

Oleksandr started making periscopes (an observation apparatus to see above the surface while in cover) after the military asked him to buy a few. The volunteer figured that it would be cheaper to manufacture self-made periscopes. He learned from craftsmen from Cherkasy all the production technology features. The raw materials for the periscopes are brought by other volunteers, neighbors, and all those concerned. Oleksandr also gets assistance from entrepreneurs who send him mirrors for the manufacture of the devices. The volunteer prints the rest of the necessary parts on a 3D printer he bought for donations. And on weekends, together with a friend, he assembles periscopes and prepares them for sending to the front.

• volunteers

Dobrobat volunteers are helping to restore a destroyed school in Romny, Sumy region. They are currently clearing the rubble and repairing the roof of the workshop.

Four people: the school director, her deputy, a secretary, and a librarian died, the school building was destroyed, and the nearby facilities were vandalized as a result of a Russian drone hitting the educational institution on August 23. 

For reference, as of July 2023, according to the Ministry of Education, 180 schools were completely destroyed, and more than 1,300 educational institutions were damaged as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“Dobrobat” is a volunteer construction division that helps victims in the urgent restoration of housing and social infrastructure in the de-occupied territories.

• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Sumy

Marta Klok started volunteering back in 2021. At that time, the girl worked with a charity initiative that supported lonely blind Ukrainians. This year, Marta took up the task of rescuing animals that remained in the front-line zone. Together with the team of “Zhmut Shchastia” (bundle of happiness) charitable foundation, the girl is evacuating animals from the east to Lviv. The team tries to get new families to adopt these animals while transporting them, and those that need medical attention are taken to veterinarians. The foundation functions exclusively through benefactors’ contributions.

Marta is currently in Lviv, ready to communicate with journalists online and offline. By prior agreement, journalists are welcome to cover the evacuation process.

• animals
• volunteers
• Lviv

In Chernihiv region, an international construction camp for the reconstruction of housing destroyed as a result of russian aggression has started working. It was launched by the organization Repair Together, which is known for its community clean-up events. The project will last three months (until October 10 this year). During this time, there are plans to build at least 9 houses on the site of destroyed buildings.

Eoin, a professional construction worker from Ireland, is one of the many foreign volunteers who joined this camp. The man became the chief foreman, and he helps with reconstruction. There are also volunteers from France, Israel, Finland, Peru, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, Romania, Italy, U.S., Belarus, Poland and Austria.

For reference: Repair Together is an organization that involves volunteers in restoring destroyed villages. Volunteers have already rebuilt 7 completely destroyed houses, repaired another 20 and coordinated the repairs and restoration of 49 buildings.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Chernihiv

On August 20, Kyiv will host the presentation of the “Brave Cyclers” project and the official opening of the bicycle workshop. During the presentation, volunteers, including foreigners, will hold a bicycle repair master class for everyone.

In general, in this workshop volunteers repair bicycles provided by benefactors from Amsterdam. Later, these bikes will be sent to people in the de-occupied territories.

For reference: the “Brave Cyclists” initiative is implemented by volunteers of the “Brave to Rebuild” project.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Volunteers of the Rapid Response Units are among the first to arrive at the scene of emergencies. They evacuate people with limited mobility from under fire and provide humanitarian aid to those remaining in the hot spots. The meeting on August 18 will bring together 90 volunteers from emergency response teams from across the country. In addition, to experience exchange, the meeting will include mine safety training programs conducted by the State Emergency Service and chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear threats from international partners. Volunteers will also practice one of the emergency scenarios.

Kyiv to venue transfer is organized for journalists.

For reference: Since the beginning of the all-out invasion, rapid response volunteer units have evacuated more than 309 thousand people from the war zone.

• casualties
• volunteers
• evacuation