Themes by tag: volunteers

Back in 2014, Tetiana Ovchar made waves by challenging the inclusion of Russian language teaching in her children’s Kyiv school. Her bold stance led to the removal of the subject from the curriculum. Passionate about promoting Ukrainian literature among youngsters, she spearheaded the “Reading with Pleasure” initiative, culminating in its final session on February 19, 2022. With the onset of the full-blown invasion, Tetiana has thrown herself into volunteering efforts, supporting both military personnel and civilians alike. Tetiana Ovchar, alongside her husband, selflessly offered their family’s former eco-tourism retreat as a refuge for those displaced by the war, accommodating up to 27 individuals in a single night. In their hometown of Kyiv, they mobilized with neighbors to provide vital aid to hospitals and the Territorial Defense Forces, distributing much-needed supplies such as food and medicine. Their outreach extended to villages like Moshchun and Horenka in the Kyiv region. Despite receiving a cancer diagnosis in December 2022, Tetiana remained resilient, channeling her energy into fundraising for military needs during her treatment sessions. Today, she continues to dedicate herself to volunteering, addressing military requests, supporting the families of servicemen, advocating for literacy, and confronting the challenges of her illness with unwavering determination.

• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

The family of Maryna Shvets from Chernihiv region appealed to the volunteers of Dobrobat. After their house was destroyed in a russian shelling, the family was forced to live in a shed. After her house burned down, Maryna did not give up: she helped the Ukrainian military and her fellow villagers, baked bread and shared homemade products.

Currently, Dobrobat volunteers have started building a new two-story building with two entrances for Maryna’s family. Volunteers have already laid the foundation and the first AAC blocks. Dobrobat volunteers actively involve the local population in the construction process. According to their calculations, Maryna’s family will be able to move into a new home as soon as this summer.

For reference: “Dobrobat” is a volunteer building division that helps those in need to urgently restore housing and social infrastructure facilities in the de-occupied territories.

• casualties
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Chernihiv

FRIDA Ukraine’s largest medical volunteer mission is once again preparing to go to Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Chernihiv regions as well as other oblasts, whose residents have been cut off from access to high quality medical care. In particular, 4 such missions are planned for April, and five for May.

The closest consultations will be held in Kherson and Donetsk regions: April 12-14 and April 20-21, respectively.

The team members themselves set up field clinics on site, where they conduct physical examinations and consultations as well as diagnose illnesses. If necessary medical volunteers do surgeries and provide free medicine to vulnerable categories of the civilian population, in particular, children who suffered from the full-scale invasion and occupation.

The media representatives are invited to join these missions.

For reference: During the 2 years of its existence, the FRIDA Ukraine medical volunteer mission made about 100 trips to the frontline and de-occupied areas.

• casualties
• doctors
• volunteers

The community cleanup will be held on April 13 and 14. The event is organized by the Danish urbanist, designer and the creator of the garden Mikael Colville-Andersen. Volunteers are invited to join the cleanup of the area, where a therapeutic garden is to be created in the future. During the event, the territory will be cleaned of garbage and prepared for the future garden.

A therapeutic garden is a specially designed environment that can provide healing, comfort and a sense of security for those who have experienced the stress of war.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

From April 6-7, volunteers from the “Brave to Rebuild” project will embark on a mission to clean up debris in Moshchun village and Irpin city, both located in the Kyiv region. Their task? Dismantling the wreckage left behind by buildings ravaged in the wake of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine. 

Media personnel are invited to cover these volunteer-led efforts. 

For reference: Fast forward to April 2, 2022, when Ukraine regained full control over the Kyiv region from Russian occupation, followed by the Chernihiv region liberation by April 6, 2022. By April 11, 2022, then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, proudly announced retaking the state border in the Sumy region.

• occupation
• reconstruction
• volunteers
• Kyiv

The Boychuk Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design was damaged in russian shelling on March 25, 2024. The organizers of the cleanup invite everyone to join the first step in the revival of the cultural center. “Boychuk Cleanup” will be supported by Dobrobat NGO, which since the beginning of the full-scale invasion has been involved in clearing the rubble after enemy shelling, as well as the reconstruction in the regions that suffered from the occupation.

• reconstruction
• russian crimes
• volunteers
• Kyiv

Olena Chertkova, an economist by training, started her journey with volunteering efforts by taking matters into her own hands like making trench candles and fire starters during the invasion. By 2023, she shifted focus to dry showers due to high demand as a portable dry shower kit is a solution for military hygienic procedures in the field. 

Using online resources and modifying recipes from Ukrainian women on Facebook, Olena perfected her formula, opting for dermatological gel over baby gel and fine-tuning proportions through a month-long trial on herself. Over 5,000 showers later, she now oversees a team of assistants. 

Despite initial monthly costs of 2-3 thousand hryvnias, expenses have risen to 7 thousand hryvnias due to increased production. Olena’s showers, priced at 7 hryvnias, offer cost-effective relief compared to store-bought alternatives. 

Olena’s available for interviews in person in Zaporizhia or online.

• volunteers
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Prior to the full-scale invasion, Andriy Galyuga worked as an electrical engineer in Chernihiv. When the big war began, the man started restoring damaged power lines and volunteering. At first, he brought food and medicine to those who could not get them on their own, and later he gathered a team of like-minded people around him.

After the region was de-occupied, Andriy’s team began to restore the damaged houses of local residents, and even build houses from scratch in certain places. Later, a team of volunteers began weaving camouflage nets, and when they found out about the need for FPV drones on the front lines, they learned how to assemble these devices. Andriy started “Because we can” NGO, and his team works on a volunteer basis. Spare parts for drones are bought with donations from Ukrainians.

• volunteers
• Chernihiv

The 15th iteration of this event, spearheaded by the Yanina Sokolova Foundation, aims to inspire residents and visitors alike to contribute to conscious blood donation, which is especially crucial during times of war raging, with every donation becoming a lifeline for Ukrainian defenders. 

For reference: Since 2019, the Yanina Sokolova Foundation has been challenging stereotypes around blood donation through Red Brunch events. To date, 2107 donors have participated, collectively saving 6321 lives.

• volunteers
• Lviv

The history of a front-line canteen near Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, began with one pot of borscht. Before the full-scale invasion, entrepreneur couple Nataliia and Anatolii Bilovol had a restaurant. On February 24, 2022, they closed their establishment, and two days later reopened it as a free canteen for military personnel. The first dish served for the Ukrainian defenders on their way to the front line was borscht. Nataliia says: there was not much borscht, only one pan, but it was enough to feed several soldiers. Later, fellow villagers of Nataliia and Anatolii started to help them cook for the military, and volunteers began delivering the necessary food. In addition to borscht, potatoes, salads and compote appeared on the menu. Volunteers gave meals-to-go to those who did not have time to stop and eat.

The canteen can serve up to two thousand soldiers per day. Volunteers work in shifts, some of the locals are on duty even at night. People from different parts of Ukraine come to cook for the military, bringing food and homemade goodies. Over the two years of operation of the canteen, Nataliia and Anatolii made so many liters of borscht and kilograms of food for the Ukrainian defenders that the exact amount is impossible to count.

• food
• volunteers