Themes by tag: volunteers

At the age of 17, Ivan lost the ability to walk due to an accident. However, he did not lose his desire to live a full life. He learned to ride a bicycle, drive a car and started doing charity work in his home village in the Ternopil region. Among other things, he helped renovate the local stadium and put up tourist signs.

When the full-scale invasion began, Ivan focused his efforts on supporting the Ukrainian military. Together with other villagers, Ivan managed to raise about 10 million hryvnia for the needs of the defense forces. The volunteer purchased drones, anti-drone guns, charging stations, vehicles, and many other things needed by the soldiers. Today, Ivan continues his volunteer work, raising funds for FPV drones and a relay station.

• volunteers
• Ternopil

Irena Danysh is an American with Ukrainian roots. She has traveled the world teaching English in various countries. She first visited Ukraine in 2003, and in 2022 she left Seattle and moved to Lviv. Irena says she wasn’t afraid of the war because she had worked extensively with humanitarian organizations and understood that Lviv was quite safe.

The American got a job as a teacher at one of the higher education institutions. She also volunteers at a charity working with young people. Irena says she feels not only American, but also Ukrainian, and plans to continue living in Ukraine.

For reference: You can talk with Irena Danysh online. On November 17, the American will return to Ukraine and will be available for offline meetings.

• volunteers
• women
• Lviv

September building camps organized by the NGO Building Ukraine Together are underway in Ukraine. Volunteers from different parts of the country and the world are helping to strengthen communities.

For example, in one of the communities in the Chernihiv region (located near the de-occupied territories and hosting a large number of people fleeing russian aggression), volunteers are creating a youth space. (Volunteers from the United States, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Italy will join the upcoming shifts).

In the Sumy region, volunteers are setting up a shelter. (Volunteers from the United States, Australia, and Poland will soon be working there. Currently, there is a volunteer from Germany.)

In the Kirovohrad region a museum room is being created. There will be exhibits telling the history of the community and the russian-Ukrainian war. (A volunteer from the United States is also currently working there.)

These volunteer building camps are organized with the support of Razom.

Journalists have the opportunity to cover the activities of the BUT camps by prior arrangement.

For reference: Building Ukraine Together is a public organization that promotes trust and responsibility among Ukrainian youth and encourages their participation in the development of a democratic Ukraine. To achieve this, they work with communities and activists to implement socially important projects.

• volunteers

British students Finley and Charlie have begun a 2,000 km bike tour from London to the Ukrainian border, with a final stop in Chełm, Poland. The duo is riding to raise funds for Voices of Children, a charity supporting Ukrainian children affected by the war. 

Their journey, which started on August 20, is expected to take 20 days. All donations will go directly to the charity.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Finley online for more information.

• children
• volunteers

Mariia Ksondzyk is the daughter of a fallen ATO veteran, she worked as a journalist before the full-scale invasion. Petro Shuklinov also worked in the media in civilian life and was mobilized into the Defense Forces in 2023. When the big war began, Mariia and Petro joined forces to volunteer, focusing primarily on providing vehicles for the military. They select, purchase, transport, repair, and deliver vehicles to the troops – a mission Mariia and Petro continue to this day. In 2023, they founded the Nesemos Fund charity and later opened a donation shop, soon followed by a service station for military vehicles. Every month, Mariia and Petro attract numerous donors and work with various foundations that help cover the cost of vehicle repairs. Currently, the Nesemos Veteran Autohub repairs between 20 and 30 military vehicles each month. The team covers repair costs up to 40,000 UAH, and if the cost exceeds this amount, they seek additional supporters to fund the work of the Autohub. Besides, Mariia and Petro decided to open a civilian vehicle repair shop to get additional funding. The service station also operates as a veterans’ center, focusing on the professional adaptation of veterans, so that they can acquire new skills and a civilian profession. The civilian repair shop is scheduled to open this fall. Looking ahead, Mariia and Petro plan to expand their business by opening new repair stations not only in the capital, but across Ukraine, with veterans at the helm.

• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

On September 5, a modular house will be unveiled in the Kyiv region, providing a new home for a big family from Kherson who fled the occupation. Dobrobat, a volunteer construction battalion, invites journalists to witness the near-completion of this significant project.

Ms. Olha, a 70-year-old teacher, escaped the war-torn region with her five adopted children. Dobrobat volunteers took on the task of building a new home for them. The family, who lost everything in the conflict, is now preparing to move into the half-installed modular house.

The event will feature both the volunteers and the family, offering a chance to hear their stories and see the completed work. Olha’s husband is seriously ill, and with her brother’s help, she managed to secure land in the Kyiv region where this new chapter begins.

• casualties
• occupation
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

The NGO “Humanitarian Aid Center Volunteer-68” in Kharkiv has a mission that goes beyond ordinary assistance to people with disabilities. The organization focuses on the most vulnerable: people with disabilities who have no close relatives nearby. Representatives of “Volunteer-68” evacuate them from dangerous areas, transport them to state institutions, banks, administrative service centers, etc.

In the “Without Limits” transit shelter, they provide round-the-clock care for evacuees with limited mobility and people with disabilities. In addition, their case managers address critical issues for elderly and disabled people  staying in other temporary shelters in Kharkiv. This includes restoring documents, paying pensions, and organizing care and treatment.

In June 2024, Volunteer-68 opened an inclusive educational space in Kharkiv, where members of low-mobility groups can receive education, including vocational training, which is especially important given the increasing number of people with disabilities due to the war.

The organization has also created a network of activists called “Ambassadors of Inclusion” in three communities of the Kharkiv oblast. They advocate for the interests of people with disabilities and work to improve accessibility.

Journalists have the opportunity to cover the activities of the Volunteer-68 NGO.

For reference: September 6, 2024 will mark two years since the start of the Slobozhansk counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which led to the near-total liberation of the Kharkiv oblast from the russian occupiers.

• casualties
• volunteers
• Kharkiv

Serhii Tsytrykov has been using a wheelchair for the past seven years since he suffered a spinal injury. After the start of the full-scale invasion, he immediately joined the volunteer movement, and soon began to assemble FPV drones for the military. In order to continue supporting the army and get funds for parts for drones, Serhii organized a campaign called “A Thousand Kilometers in a Wheelchair.” Serhii went on his first marathon in May 2024, the second one was held in July. During two marathons, the volunteer traveled more than 700 kilometers across Ukraine. In the second marathon, he managed to collect UAH 236,000. According to Serhii, this should be enough to make 15 FPV drones.

Serhii plans to start his final marathon in September and cover another 300 kilometers. Serhii is currently in Ternopil undergoing rehabilitation, recovering from previous marathons. He will go on the road when he receives a doctor’s permission.

• volunteers
• Ternopil

Ania Kudzia is a Polish citizen who restores monuments for a living. For the past ten years, the woman and her team have been helping to restore Ukraine’s architectural heritage. The restorers have set up a workshop in Lviv where they work on sculptures.

With the beginning of the full-scale war, Ania together with a group of Polish-Ukrainian restorers founded the Ukraina Pomagamy initiative. They buy cars and medicines for the front and assemble first aid kits for soldiers in their workshop. Ania Kudzia delivers all of it to the front line by herself or together with a team of women. Since the initiative was created, volunteers have managed to send seven cars to the front, including an ambulance.

In addition, the restorers underwent a tactical medicine course in Poland, and now they plan to complete the next level of the course, because in the future they are considering the possibility of working as medics at the front.

Ania Kudzia and her team are in Lviv. Restorers are ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• volunteers
• Lviv

The Yanina Sokolova Foundation is set to host its 18th Red Brunch Donor Day in Lviv, a vital blood collection effort aiming to support Ukraine’s military personnel.

On August 29, both locals and visitors in Lviv will have the chance to donate blood, contributing directly to saving the lives of soldiers on the front lines.

The event’s mission is to save lives while raising awareness about the importance of conscious blood donation in Ukraine.

For reference: Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been challenging stereotypes around blood donation. By organizing Red Brunch events in major offices of socially responsible companies, hotels, and community hubs, the foundation has created an environment that includes refreshments, networking opportunities, and incentive gifts for donors. To date, 2,981 individuals have donated, helping to save more than 8,943 lives.

• volunteers
• Lviv