Being Ukrainian: why we interact and act

Help means holding hands. Reliable friends, colleagues, or relatives take your hand and confidently say: “Everything is fine”, “Hold on”, “We are doing important work together for the sake of victory”. Despite the fact that today we are all in different parts of the country and the world, we hold hands tightly. And we will survive!

During March, the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation redistributed program funds to support volunteer initiatives of the alumni community. Through ambassadors, volunteer requests were supported in Odeskakaskskaska ska, Zaporizka, Volynska, Poltavska, Zakarpatska, Vinnytska, Kharkivska and Cherkaska oblasts.

We are in active contact with alumni and friends of the Foundation. The community covers all regions of Ukraine, and this makes it possible to track domestic requests and needs in the regions.

In Zaporizka Oblast, Ambassador Natalia Kryvoruchko, together with volunteers, forms and distributes food kits for local residents. “We provide humanitarian aid in the form of humanitarian kits for large families, low-income families with children with disabilities, parents raising children on their own, families in hard living conditions and other categories,” says Natalia. 

The Foundation’s ambassador in Volynska oblast, Pavlo Medyna, has recently announced the completion of the reconstruction of the ‘Novy Kryla’ (New Wings) youth center in Novovolynsk. This space will be a place to unite young people who will be able to learn, improve their skills in various fields. The center is also involved in volunteering. “It’s very inspiring when so many different people are supporting young people who want change. Keep calm. Everyone helps with all their might – everyone does important things on their front,” Pavlo comments.

In January, NGO ‘Friends of the Community of St. Egidius’ won 3rd place in the “Responsibility Award 2021”. The community actively helps displaced people, poor and lonely people, the sick, sends and distributes tons of humanitarian aid, visits centers for displaced persons and homes for the elderly, conducts classes for children and much more. «The fund sent us a touching message from the teacher of the Bereznehuvatsky institution of general secondary education of the I-III degrees which is in the settlement of Berezneguvate in the Nikolaev area. The woman said that the local school was completely destroyed by the occupiers, but she and other teachers continue to work, teach children remotely and support the families of those students who remained in the village with food kits. The teacher was worried that she already lacked her own food supplies, so she looked for a charity that could continue to support the community.” The community of St. Egidius gladly responded to the request and handed over humanitarian cargo with food, hygiene products, household chemicals and other necessary things to the educators of Bereznehuvaty. These days, aid is being distributed among locals.

“Good deeds do not go unnoticed – they shine like beacons to those who are waiting for help“, – such words of gratitude were received from Mykolaivska oblast.

In the Mykolaivska oblast, ambassador Olga Raku actively volunteers and says: “These days, as never before, I feel the national identity. I am Ukrainian and I am proud of that. To be Ukrainian for me is to stand in line for 5 hours to donate blood for our defenders. To be Ukrainian is to volunteer from morning till night for the needs of the Armed Forces, hospitals, our communities and territory defense. To be Ukrainian is to feel the support of a neighbor or stranger hundreds of kilometers away”. 

Help means holding hands. Human-to-human help is already two people. And what happens when the whole world unites? Victory of life.

By supporting the Foundation, you are supporting important youth volunteer initiatives during the war. You can make a donation here: https://bhfamily.org/en/pidtrymaty-fond/