Themes by tag: volunteers

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Andrii Haliuha worked as an electrical engineer in Chernihiv. When russian forces pushed into the region, he rushed to repair damaged power lines and soon found himself assisting neighbors who could not access food or medicine on their own. What began as individual acts of support quickly grew into a full-fledged volunteer effort.

After the liberation of Chernihiv, Haliuha rallied a team of volunteers to help rebuild destroyed homes, and in some cases, construct new ones from the ground up. Their work expanded as new needs emerged. They started weaving camouflage nets and later shifted to a more technical mission: assembling first-person-view drones for Ukrainian troops.

Galyuga went on to establish a nonprofit organization called “Because We Can”, which now focuses on producing FPV drones, 3D-printing parts and components for military equipment, and assembling power banks for soldiers at the front.

Interviews with Andrii Haliuha can be arranged in Chernihiv or remotely.

• volunteers
• Chernihiv

Yuliia Stefaniuk is the head of the International Charity Organization World Central Kitchen’s mission in Ukraine and one of the women who, from the very first days of the full-scale invasion, joined organizing humanitarian aid in the country.

Before the full-scale war, she lived in Lviv and for over eleven years worked as the managing partner of !FEST Catering and Just Lviv It! — partner projects of the !FEST Holding of Emotions. Yuliia graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv with a degree in sociology and worked in the insurance business in Kyiv for some time.

When the invasion began, Yuliia was among the first to join World Central Kitchen in Lviv. In March 2022, she organized the first large-scale hot meal production for refugees arriving in Lviv and played an active role in creating the logistical and organizational processes that enabled WCK to rapidly scale up and operate across Ukraine, including frontline communities. To date, World Central Kitchen has provided over 290 million meals as part of its mission in Ukraine. Currently, the organization provides hot meals, distributes food and vegetable kits, supports evacuation centers, delivers water and bread to communities on the front lines, and implements long-term programs to restore local food security, particularly by helping families grow their own food and opening kitchens for internally displaced persons.

Over the course of two years during the war, Yuliia served as the executive director of the Ukraine Foundation, which was established with the support of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. She is also a co-founder of the Hachiko Pet Foundation in the United States, which supports frontline animal shelters by providing food, medical assistance, and sterilization services, as well as facilitating adoptions.

Currently, Yuliia coordinates one of the country’s largest hot meal programs, created in response to the full-scale invasion. She works tirelessly to ensure that citizens have stable and easy access to humanitarian aid, even under the most difficult conditions.

Yuliia is a mother of two children and the rescuer of a cat she adopted from the de-occupied city of Izium.

By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to speak with Yuliia in person in Lviv or online.

• casualties
• food
• volunteers
• women
• Lviv

At the beginning of the war, a women’s volunteer firefighting team was formed in the Velykoomelianska community in the Rivne oblast. Alla Karpiuk, the head of this territorial community, initiated the creation of the team. She recalls responding to fires three times before the team’s formation, when houses and dry grass were burning. Alla coordinated with firefighters and assisted in saving people’s property. This experience motivated her to launch the initiative.

Currently, the firefighting team consists of 21 volunteers. Its members are local council deputies, accountants, and saleswomen. A woman who lost her husband in the war has also joined the initiative.

The team underwent professional training with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine and obtained certification. The women learned first aid, how to deploy fire hoses, how to use fire extinguishers, how to work with the water supply, and more. The team also participated in a two-day international training session.

This year, the team has joined rescuers on 36 call-outs in total.

Journalists have the opportunity to speak with team members in person or online by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• women
• Rivne

On April 1, 2022, Jay Rivera, a 38-year-old former account manager from Pennsylvania, boarded a plane from New York to Warsaw for his first trip to Europe. Leaving behind his family and job, he came with a mission: to support Ukrainians affected by the war.

Rivera began by coordinating foreign volunteers and managing logistics in Przemyśl, Poland. By October 2022, he had taken the helm of Hope Shelter refugee center for Ukrainians.

In November 2024, he moved to Ukraine’s Lviv region to start Phoenix, a reintegration center and shelter for displaced persons. It currently hosts up to 48 residents, providing housing, meals, professional and language courses, and psychological support. The center’s operations are funded through foreign donors, grants, and private contributions. Plans are underway to expand the facility to accommodate veterans and their families.

Jay Rivera is available to meet with visitors in the Lviv region, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• Lviv

Currently, several hundred animals are being cared for at the Bat Rehabilitation Center in Kharkiv. However, volunteers explain that this is only the beginning of the winter season, and they expect to take in several thousand bats under their care, as they did last year. The bats are brought to the Center from various Ukrainian cities.

There, specialists help the animals survive the winter, a time when bats become vulnerable and require special conditions. Animals needing extra care are fed and treated.

Due to blackouts, the center purchased a generator and an EcoFlow unit because the refrigerators where the bats are kept require constant power.

Since the full-scale war began, the rehabilitation center has increased its operations. Specialists are now focused on bat conservation and scientific research.

Journalists can speak with the Bat Rehabilitation Center coordinator, biologist Alona Shulenko, online or in person in Kharkiv by prior arrangement.

• animals
• blackout
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Before the war, Bohdan’s company in Poltava produced ice cream and frozen foods, such as traditional Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) and syrnyky (cheese pancakes). He had never cooked hot meals or worked in public catering. That all changed in February 2022, when families fleeing the war began arriving in Poltava. Bohdan posted a simple message on social media: “We know how to cook. If anyone needs help, we are ready.”

His company began cooking hot meals with leftover frozen ingredients and distributing them to those in need. Soon, Bohdan had to sell freezers and a delivery van to pay for ingredients and continue feeding people escaping the war. “I was a few days away from shutting down,” he says. “We had no money left, but people still had to eat.” It was then that he learned about World Central Kitchen (WCK).

With their support, Bohdan was able to cook up to 5,000 hot lunches a day and develop a delivery system. His team delivered food to schools, dormitories, and shelters across Poltava. Since 2022, they have prepared over 427,000 meals in partnership with WCK.

What began as emergency food relief has since evolved into Poltavski Pundyky, a food company built on the values WCK tapped into — dignity, care, speed, and community. Today, his team runs five dining spaces across the city. They also still deliver hundreds of free meals daily to those affected by the war. Many employees are internally displaced persons who first came to Poltava after russia’s full-scale invasion. Bohdan’s business is a key emergency partner for WCK and is ready to cook hot meals in the aftermath of missile strikes or other emergencies.

Journalists can speak with Bohdan in Poltava or online, by prior arrangement. Representatives of World Central Kitchen are also available for communication.

• food
• volunteers
• Poltava

Volunteers with the St. Nicholas’s Reindeer project have already received over 1,700 letters. This year, children frequently asked St. Nicholas for power banks so they could charge their phones and stay connected during power outages. The Labubu toy is also among the most popular requests. Children are asking for construction sets, toy cars, books, musical instruments, and balls. Some children have lost their homes due to the war and are asking St. Nicholas for clothes.

Anyone who wishes to can choose a child’s letter and fulfill their wish. Volunteers will deliver the gifts, host a celebration, and provide a photo report. St. Nicholas’s reindeer will visit Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and other regions (the project will cover approximately 50 locations in total).

Many former volunteers have joined the Defense Forces and are now defending Ukraine on the front lines.

Journalists can speak with the campaign organizers in Kharkiv and, if possible, cover the gift distribution process in various regions.

Background: The St. Nicholas’s Reindeer project was founded in Kharkiv in 2016 to support children from communities near the frontlines.

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in Ukraine on December 6.

• children
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, ecologist Vladyslav Mykhailenko taught students at Mechnikov Odessa National University. After February 2022, he began searching for ways to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, a quest that led to the creation of his project, Plastic Saves Lives.

The initiative collects plastic bottle caps, which are then sorted by a team of volunteers to ensure only recyclable material that can be sold is processed. The funds generated from selling the plastic are used to purchase military equipment.

To acquire a single FPV drone, approximately 1.5 tons of caps must be sorted. Since its inception, Plastic Saves Lives has already helped fund an ambulance, two Mavic 3T drones, and three FPV drones.

Anyone can contribute by handing over caps to volunteers in Odesa. Vladyslav Mykhailenko is also available to discuss the project online or in person in Odesa, by prior arrangement.

• ecology
• volunteers
• Odesa

Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Maryna Sadykova worked in event management. But after February 24, 2022, her focus shifted entirely — she and her team began volunteering to support Ukrainian troops. The intense pace of that work soon took a toll. Struggling with burnout and anxiety, Sadykova sought peace in the Carpathian Mountains. That personal recovery experience inspired her to launch a mental health initiative for others facing the same strain.

Her organization, the Repower Charity Fund, now runs a psychological support program specifically for military medics and doctors who serve on the front lines. Based in Kyiv, the program offers a 10-day retreat in Sweden designed to help participants restore their emotional resilience and mental well-being.

Since 2022, Repower has organized 17 recovery programs, 16 abroad and one pilot retreat in Ukraine, reaching 1,244 combat medics who have since returned to duty. The foundation continues to expand its retreats and provide ongoing support for those who save lives under fire.

Media representatives and visitors can arrange to meet with Maryna Sadykova, her team, and program participants both online and in person in Kyiv by appointment.

• doctors
• psychological support
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

On November 15 to 16, the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission will travel to Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts (oncology screening).

By prior arrangement, journalists have the opportunity to document the work of the medical volunteers and conduct interviews with patients and doctors.

Background: FRIDA Ukraine’s medical volunteer missions are regular outreach trips by a team of doctors to frontline and remote communities in Ukraine. Each mission includes over 20 specialists in various fields, such as neurologists, surgeons, gynecologists, therapists, and dermatologists.

During these missions, the team provides free medical appointments, consultations, and tests for local residents. Recently, the team has also begun conducting oncology screenings to help detect illnesses at their initial stages.

• doctors
• volunteers
• Chernihiv
• Sumy