Themes by tag: Zaporizhzhia

On September 8, the “Beloved, I Live!” project will launch its fifth group of support classes in Zaporizhia. This initiative, dedicated to providing psychological assistance to women who have lost their husbands in the war, will welcome seven new participants.

The project was conceived in March 2023 when Yaryna Herashchenko, a social activist, was approached by a family friend grieving her military husband. The idea for “Beloved, I Live!” emerged from this interaction, with Herashchenko and her mother, a psychologist, coming together to offer support.

Participants in the program receive counseling and engage in various therapeutic activities such as archery, yoga, and Thai boxing. The initiative also includes off-site events. For example, on Khortytsia Island, participants wrote letters to their lost loved ones, crafted boats from these messages, and set them afloat on the Dnipro River. Additionally, they prepared and shared meals featuring their Beloveds’ favorite dishes. The women have also been involved in two photo projects: “In Memory of You,” which features images with memorabilia to tell the stories of their husbands, and “Beloved, I Live!,” a photo session designed to inspire renewal.

• dead
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Zaporizhia will witness the official launch of a new educational center on July 18, specifically designed for children from internally displaced families.

This pioneering center offers:
– Structured classes led by qualified educators;
– Themed activities encompassing sports, art therapy, psychological workshops, scientific experiments, interactive learning, dynamic entertainment, quests, and cinematic experiences;
– A secure and nurturing environment.

More than just a place for academic learning, this center encourages children to explore their talents, forge new friendships, and make the most of their time.

The event will host esteemed guests including representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI).

Supported by USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) and the Support Ukraine Today Foundation, the center’s inauguration marks a significant step in supporting children affected by displacement.

• children
• Zaporizhzhia

A youth center for displaced youth has opened in Zaporizhia. It was opened with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine and financial support from the European Union. The center will serve as a foundation for establishing teams of young leaders. These teams will collaborate with local authorities to facilitate the engagement of young individuals in the recovery efforts of the Zaporizhia region. A separate milestone in the center’s work will be the involvement of young people in volunteer initiatives in the city and the organization of measures to improve public safety and social cohesion. In particular, educational events and seminars are planned to be held in the center.

• reconstruction
• Zaporizhzhia

The rehabilitation center for soldiers fighting for Ukraine along the Zaporizhia axis has started working in the city of Zaporizhia. Specialists of the center provide rehabilitation assistance, psychological counseling and physical therapy services. Ukrainian and foreign partners helped equip the center. In particular, they cooperated with international organizations on the supply of modern robotic equipment. And the Charitable Foundation “Faith in Ukraine” helped with furniture for the wards.

• Zaporizhzhia

Leading the charge at the St. Nicholas Clinic is Kostiantyn Mylytsia, a surgeon and co-founder of the Brave Step prosthetic center in Zaporizhia. Established in September 2023, this vital facility was made possible through funding from the Slovak Embassy and a local charity foundation. Prior to its inception, individuals in need of prosthetics within the region had to journey to western Ukraine or seek assistance abroad. Now, they have a lifeline closer to home – the nearest prosthetic center to the front line. Mylytsia stresses the urgency of prompt surgical intervention for wounded soldiers. 

At Brave Step, assistance is rendered free of charge to all who seek it. The center’s medical professionals have undergone rigorous training in the United States, Germany, and Austria.

• casualties
• Zaporizhzhia

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

Tetiana Kuzmuk has been growing lemons, grapefruits, oranges and limes in Zaporizhia for 14 years. At first, the citrus garden was just a hobby for the woman, but then she turned gardening into her life’s work. Currently, Tetiana grows more than 30 varieties of different citrus fruits in her garden.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, gardening also became an opportunity for Tetiana to distract herself from the war, because Zaporizhia is affected by enemy shelling almost every day. Plants also bring material benefits, namely, donations for the Defense Forces. The woman started exchanging tree sprouts for donations to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Tetiana has already managed to raise UAH 200,000. The gardener transferred the collected funds to one of the military units.

• women
• Zaporizhzhia

“Darling, I Live on!” is a psychological support project for women who lost their husbands in the war. It operates in Zaporizhia.

In March 2023, activist Yaryna Herashchenko was approached by a family friend who had lost her military husband who asked her for support. Then the women came up with the idea to create the project “Darling, I Live on!” Yaryna’s mother, who is a psychologist, got involved as well.

Over the course of a year, 22 participants joined the project. As part of the initiative, women receive psychological aid and support on their way to recovery. In particular, they take part in various activities: archery, yoga and Thai boxing. Women also participate in field sessions. For example, on the island of Khortytsia, the participants wrote letters to their loved ones, made small paper boats from their messages and sent them down the Dnipro. They also treated each other to their loved ones’ favorite dishes.

The participants are also taking part in two photo projects: “Memory of you” (photos with memorabilia that help the participants tell the stories of their husbands) and “Darling, I Live on!” (“awakening photo shoot”). Group 4 meetings will start in March.

• dead
• military
• psychological support
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Viktoriia Zahreba has been engaged in a youth sports tourism job. When the full-scale war began, the frontline shifted to Viktoriia’s village in Zaporizhia Oblast. The woman acknowledged that there was no reliable shelter in the village and decided to create one. Viktoriia found a school basement where coal used to be stored. The basement needed to be cleaned up, so she turned to the Ukrainian Women’s Fund for support, applied for a grant, and won. The Foundation provided assets and the villagers got down to modern shelter equipment. It was opened in March 2023 and can accommodate 60 people.

The shelter also serves as a safe environment for leisure, where training and events in psychology, mine safety, psycho-emotional support for children, and women’s leadership are held.

• reconstruction
• women
• Zaporizhzhia

Vitalii Hrytsayi is 48 years old and has been repairing cars in Zaporizha for 28 years. The man is a veteran who fought in 2014 in Mariinka, Donetsk Oblast. Later he was demobilized and returned to car repair. Vitalii says he has always dreamed of building a car with his own hands, but he never thought he would have to make one for the war. It took the mechanic 6 years to build his first all-terrain buggy entirely on his own in his spare time. When the full-scale invasion outbreak, he had to speed up because his military friends asked him to build them a war buggy. Now Vitalii is building his third all-terrain vehicle. Each vehicle is different from the others because Vitalii modifies the design to fit a specific task for the soldiers: reconnaissance, assault, or evacuation. Vitaliy cannot draw, so he keeps all the necessary diagrams and calculations in his head.

The mechanic says that Ukrainian defenders need such buggies because they are difficult for the enemy to detect. And they go where a jeep or off-road vehicle cannot.

• volunteers
• Zaporizhzhia