Themes by tag: volunteers

The volunteer project “Marriage for a Hero” was launched in early summer last year. During this time, thanks to this charity initiative, turnkey weddings were organized for several couples. (The project operates in Cherkasy city and region, but recently newlyweds from Kyiv city have also applied).

For reference: The Cherkasy city resident Svitlana Olifer, who has been engaged in the wedding business for seven years, decided to organize a volunteer project entitled “Marriage for a Hero” after the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. The woman gathered a team of photographers, cameramen, make-up artists and florists who helped in implementation of the holiday for free. Sometimes restaurants or catering establishments are ready to provide services under special terms. In general, newlyweds will have to spend only on wedding outfits.

• military
• volunteers
• Cherkasy

Children’s protective kits: helmets and bulletproof vests manufactured by the Lviv Defense Cluster “work” actively on the front line. For example, in the Donetsk region, every crew of Bilyi Ianhol (the white angel) — the local police officers who help people evacuate — is equipped with children’s helmets and bulletproof vests manufactured by the Lviv Defense Cluster. Owing to these protective equipment, police officers can better protect children from shelling during evacuation.

For reference: The main threat to children during evacuation is fragments of shells, glass, and concrete. Lviv Defense Cluster produces three sizes of bulletproof vests for 4–6, 7–10, 11–14 years’ age groups.

Lviv Defense Cluster groups together specialists of defense enterprises, volunteers and production facilities from all over the country to provide the Defenders of Ukraine with high-quality and proven bulletproof vests. It has its own laboratory for testing the finished products.

• children
• volunteers
• Lviv

Famous Ukrainian chefs, including Ievhen Klopotenko and Ihor Mezentsev, have teamed up to present a holiday to Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes. Therefore, they will prepare delicious dishes for displaced persons on weekends during the month. Charity breakfasts will take place there on January 7, 14, 21, and 28.

For reference: Ievhen Klopotenko is the most famous chef in Ukraine. It was owing to his efforts that the Ukrainian borshch was included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In addition, together with Ukrzaliznytsia, Ievhen Klopotenko represents Ukraine for foreign politicians by means of our ethnic cuisine. After all, what the world leaders, Boris Johnson or Antony Blinken, will eat on their way to the Ukrainian capital is decided by him.

• casualties
• food
• volunteers
• Kyiv

In the morning of January 4, Kyiv residents will gather for communal works in one of districts of the capital city. They will clean up at the site of enemy shelling (in the afternoon of December 31, russia launched a missile attack on the territory of Ukraine, including Kyiv).

For reference: On January 3, the first day of communal works took place (it was organized through the Telegram channel). About fifty concerned people sorted out the rubble and loaded garbage. Utility companies also worked on the site.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

The Charity Foundation “Solomianski Kotyky” sets up its “invincibility points” in Kyiv city schools. They will be called “Teplytsi” (greenhouses). In general, they plan to create 10 points.

The Foundation has already opened a pilot “Teplytsi” project at School No. 229. It was visited by 3,500 people during the first month of operation. And on December 20 alone, more than 500 Kyiv residents found a shelter and a place to work there. The “Teplytsi” point also became a shelter for the tailed ones — 13 dogs visited it for a month.

Another one “Teplytsi” point was set up in the Ministry of Social Policy. Both locations are equipped with a generator and Starlink, an organized coffee break zone, a place for board games, work and volunteering.

• blackout
• volunteers
• Kyiv

At the end of the summer, “Tozhsamist” (Identity) social initiative about Ukrainians of different ethnicities started working in Ukraine. It was launched by Ukrainian designer and marketer Alisa Zhuravel. The girl herself is a non-ethnic Ukrainian. Although she was born in Kharkiv, her father is from Nigeria. Interviews with Ukrainians of various origins are posted on the platform. Those interviewed include Nigerians from Kharkiv, Kazakhs from Kyiv, as well as Ukrainian Armenians and Ethiopians. With her project, Alisa wants to introduce the world to Ukrainians of different ethnicities, counter russian propaganda, and show the Western society the diversity of people identifying themselves as Ukrainians.

• culture
• volunteers

Paramedic Julia Paevska (Taira) is opening “Mria” (Dream) charity fund, which will take care of families of prisoners of war and civilian captives. According to her, there are about 10,000 such families in Ukraine. Julia Paevska plans to sign a memorandum with the center for assistance to prisoners and with other institutions and organizations that, in cooperation with government agencies, help to locate prisoners and assist with obtaining statuses and receiving payouts.

For reference: Julia Paevska (Taira) is a Ukrainian military servicewoman, paramedic and volunteer, commander of “Taira’s Angels” unit. Since 2014, as a paramedic, she has participated in the Revolution of Dignity and the war in the eastern part of Ukraine. On March 16, 2022, during the siege of Mariupol, she was captured by the russians. She was released on June 17, 2022.  

• casualties
• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” buys devices for protecting the hearing organs of the Ukrainian military. Individual tactical sound filters are earplugs specifically designed for military use. They reliably protect against dangerous peaks of noise, preserving the ability to hear those who are nearby. 1,150 sound filters have already been purchased.

In addition, the non-governmental organization “Vidchuy”, together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, works on the rehabilitation of military personnel who received hearing injuries at the front. The Ministry of Health and the non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” signed a memorandum that will allow attracting activists from the non-governmental organization for rehabilitation of the military.

For reference: The non-governmental organization “Vidchuy” has been systematically engaged in support and social adaptation of people with hearing impairments since 2011.

• casualties
• doctors
• military
• volunteers
• Kyiv

For the first time ever in Ukraine, an exhibition of female military uniforms and gear was presented, which had been developed as part of the “Arm Women Now” project. Previously, Iryna Nykorak, Deputy of the Kyiv City Council, the project initiator, noted that this uniform is made in such a way that women with any size and type of body feel comfortable. It is known that now the uniform is being officially tested in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 

For reference: In late November, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine reported that almost 60,000 women serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

• military
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Ukrainian cat blogger Stepan, who, together with his owner, went abroad from his native Kharkiv due to the all-out war, has finally returned home. Cat Stepan collected money for Ukrainian shelters and zoos while staying abroad. Photos from the shelled city appeared on Stepan’s Instagram, where he has more than a million followers. The apartment where Stepan lives is located in Pivnichna Saltivka district, the area that has suffered the most from the russian attacks.

• animals
• volunteers
• Kharkiv