“Those who were enemies in civilian life became shoulder to shoulder” - volunteer

— Tell us about your joint activities with the Foundation. How did it all start?

– At the beginning of March 2022, when volunteer centers of assistance were organized in Kyiv and the region, I met Oleksandr Tsverkovich, Vice President of the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation for Peace and Kindness. As you remember, then everything stopped: shops were closed, the townspeople were confused, many elderly people were left without food. And the Fund had a lot of meat products, which were provided by one of the well-known Ukrainian producers, so Alexander offered me to join them and help. So we started doing things together.

— Tell us in more detail how you helped the work of the Foundation.

- First, in Kyiv, we prepared food from those meat products, made food packages and delivered them around the city, and then delivered them to the region where we needed them. For example, our defenders were standing in the Vyshgorod direction at that time, we were in touch with local deputies, received requests and brought the necessary products there. They were also delivered to Brovary, Pristolichnaya UTC, Svyatoshinsky community. Everywhere around Kyiv, where we could get, they carried products. Then they began to organize humanitarian centers and transshipment centers on the ground. They were made, for example, on the basis of some warehouse or supermarket with refrigerators. A truck with food arrived there, we unloaded it, our volunteers packed this product in 100-200 kg packages and distributed it to the areas where this food was fed to the terrorist defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine and those in need of support. We did all this with the support of the Peace and Kindness Foundation.

— How many volunteers have worked with you all the time?

“Hundreds of people, maybe thousands. It is difficult to count, because we could not see everyone, it was a well-functioning living organism in so many locations. All worked accurately and conscientiously.

- What did you do later, when the Kiev region was fired?

- After the dismissal of the Kyiv region, when everything was more or less working and food became available to people, we focused on helping the Defense Forces.

We began to actively raise funds for the purchase of drones, cars for the military, various household items, collimator sights, night vision devices, in fact, everything that the military needed and asked for, we all found and helped.

And here without the help of the Fund, we would not have coped. After all, it was faster and did not have to pay for customs clearance of cars. Volunteers from the Peace and Kindness Foundation traveled to Germany, Poland, Great Britain, looked for the necessary transport there, bought it and drove it to Ukraine. Having all the necessary documents (from the Foundation and military units. Red.), there were no problems at the border. They brought the car, performed maintenance, handed over to the military, reported and then continued again. All processes were clear and controlled.

- What is the situation using now? Are people donating less?

Many have also lost the opportunity to earn money, provide for their own families and donate funds. But it is especially unpleasant and negatively affects the general condition when they show or talk about those who once went abroad and did not return. Or how a blogger tells how cool he is because he dumped, and others are fools for not doing it. This is very demotivating. First of all, the military, and secondly, us volunteers. We travel, donate money, carry humanitarian aid, spend our own funds, which we often take from our families to buy for the guys on the front lines.

I think more positive information needs to be shown. Talking about those who are doing something for the country, about our Heroes, should support the cohesion of people.

What surprised you the most during this difficult time?

“What strikes me the most is the unity of the people. Nobody expected such unity. Everyone forgot about personal problems, some problems, no one thought about anything except to do something and bring our Victory closer. People have really changed, even those who were enemies in civilian life have become shoulder to shoulder. Actually, understanding: if you are not in a trench, do not hold a weapon in your hands, you must definitely go and do something for the good of your country, help people, the military, terrorist defense and the like. This unity was the most striking. And because of this, we have been able to achieve a lot. The enemy certainly did not count on this.

— Please tell us about your experience of volunteering in the first months of a full-scale Russian invasion.

- My activity was quite wide, so to speak. I commanded the Volunteer Formation of the Nemishaevskaya Territorial Community and, together with the Peace and Kindness Fund, delivered humanitarian aid - food and medicine to the war zone, as well as to de-occupied cities and villages, where people needed it more. Sometimes these were utterly defeated villages.

How do you know what to bring and where?

— We contacted the elders of the communities, found out specific needs, so our assistance was targeted. It’s not like they brought a truck with medicines, unloaded it and that’s it. No, we had everything clearly and according to our needs.

How many people have been helped?

Thousands, no exaggeration. Nobody counted back then. There was no time for this.

What about the military line?

- Of course, I myself am the commander of the DFTG, as well as many contacts with different units. We were approached, we worked out the requests, passed them on to the Fund, and they fulfilled them as quickly as possible.

Initially, these were food and medicines in the Kiev region. Then, after the liberation of the Kyiv region, together with the Fund they carried aid to the east, in particular to Bakhmut, Avdiivka, the Zaporozhye direction, Kherson region, Kharkiv region, etc. Subsequently, there were already cars, various military ammunition, etc.

Are you currently volunteering?

- The war continues. So we need to help, and we try to do this work every day and as much as possible. We urge everyone to do something, of course, to the best of their ability. Volunteering has become a part of my life. I know for sure that I will be doing this with the Victory of Ukraine over Russian evil.

- What will you personally remember forever?

- Incredible people. Often completely unfamiliar, but from the very first minute of working together, all of us, volunteers, became in a special way family. And feeling. When at any moment a shell can fly in and there is no strength left, and people are working and smiling, joking. It was something. It gave strength and faith that we are doing everything right and will definitely win. With such a spirit, we have worked and continue.

What do you think is the role of volunteering after the Victory?

Volunteering is a serious experience that we all got. These are people who are ready to sacrifice their personal for the sake of noble goals, for the sake of helping their neighbor. And for them after the Victory there will be a lot of work. All of us together to restore the country, literally and figuratively. Thousands of destroyed homes, educational institutions, hospitals, disfigured infrastructure. The state cannot restore all this on its own; here, too, a volunteer shoulder will be needed. I also hope that some of the volunteers will go into power and sweep away the remnants of corruption, looting, nepotism and, most importantly, Sovietism from all levels. So there will be something to work on!

Reference

The All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation for Peace and Kindness was established in 2010. Then, when Ukraine, more than ever, needed help. Each of the Fund’s employees had experience in different areas: law, economics, marketing, military affairs, banking, hotel business. During the period of its activity, the Fund has supported about 8 million Ukrainians.