Every Ukrainian city has undergone changes since the full-scale invasion by Russia. Some of them have been either destroyed or damaged by Russian missiles waiting to be reconstructed, whereas others are extending their urban spaces, increasing their capacities to accommodate new people.
We have compiled a list of the organizations from Chernivtsi that have managed to offer reliable support for those in need, both at the beginning of the full-scale war and now. We spoke to volunteers about what kind of aid they are providing and their faith in victory.
«Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna». Counting days down to victory
An inconspicuous yard in the heart of the city of Chernivtsi, just like any other yard nearby. However, this is a special place. Offices of two foundations are located here, providing help for people affected by the war.
A line of people has formed at the entrance to the office of «Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna». These are parents and their children, the elderly. The office itself is full of people. Volunteers are receiving visitors while putting clothing items into packages.
The foundation has been active since 2014. After the full-scale war began the volume of work has considerably increased. The focus of the foundation is placed on providing help for forcibly displaced persons, unprotected segments of the population, people with disabilities, pregnant women, women with children and the elderly. Besides, the foundation delivers tactical medicine equipment, also helping hospitals across Ukraine.
While a volunteer named Lidiya is talking to us, people standing in line are taking seats one by one at the registration table. The foundation has introduced a special program in which forcibly displaced persons may leave main information about themselves and their special needs (allergy or eating habits). After the registration people get a QR code that is scanned by volunteers who then search for adequate aid for these people.
One can get food or hygiene packages, baby formula or toys. Some of the expenses are covered by the foundation itself, while other things are also delivered from benefactors living in Ukraine and Europe. The foundation keeps a record of everything delivered by taking relevant information down into a special sheet. In this very yard there is a warehouse of clothes nearby, where people can find garments they need.
In recent months there has been a major influx of people. 300-350 people were received every day. The number has now decreased to 50. Also, Lidiya says the volume of aid has also dwindled, as well as the foundation’s capacities.
Forcibly displaced persons can receive medications on condition that they have a prescription from a doctor. Volunteering pharmacists pick up medications based on their active substances. Lots of medications are being brought in from Europe.
The cooperation with hospitals has been established thanks to the support provided by the Italian organization Cuamm. This is one of the oldest humanitarian missions in Italy cooperating with the UN. «Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna» has signed a memorandum with Cuamm, which is why the latter is now sending medical supplies and medications to Chernivtsi, with the foundation distributing them among state hospitals in Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and other local hospitals. The team of Cuamm pay monthly visits to the Chernivtsi office of the foundation while also providing all sorts of support for people affected by the war.
Currently, the activities of the foundations are focused on the most pressing needs of people who have lost their homes and are seeking protection. A few years back «Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna» covered the needs of children’s hospitals, for example. To raise money the foundation’s team was baking sweets. The proceeds were spent on special instruments used to measure the acuity of hearing for newborns and on cardiographs. Also, a mobile children’s hospice was set up so that doctors could visit kids suffering from incurable diseases.
A real community was formed there. Volunteers work and rest together, assuming responsibility for other people.
«Doctors do first aid training for our volunteers. They teach them how to apply a tourniquet, what to do in the event of massive shelling, how to perform triage. We have worked out a tactical kit that we carry with us all the time in order to come prepared for a possible attack. One volunteer is able to save several people, we have taken this responsibility over», says Lidiya.
We meet the head of the charitable foundation, Kateryna Ponomarova, outside. Volunteers of the foundation are having lunch.
«Everyone is tired of war. Even those who have not been affected by it. Those people, on whom the war has left its indelible mark, are not tired. The war has been raging on for 9 years. We are growing tired rather from indifference and misunderstandings, but not from war itself. Unless it’s over, nobody can sleep peacefully. That’s why we are all working here», says Kateryna.
The woman is convinced that those who receive feedback after they deliver aid just can’t stop working. A photo from the front line or a child’s smile (who has been evacuated and presented with a toy or some sweets at the foundation) is something that gives volunteers strength.
Kateryna says that back in 2014 a lot of volunteers came together to help, but later some of them left off the activities. Only those stayed who were really ready to help. Volunteers may quickly burn out hoping for quick results.
Since the all-out invasion new volunteers have joined the foundation. Some of them are forcibly displaced persons from Kharkiv and Lysychansk. For example, a man named Serhii and his German shepherd, Bar. Volunteers and visitors of the foundation adore the dog.
«I am not counting the days of the war, since it makes me sad. We need to think that each day brings us closer to victory. That makes it easier», says Kateryna.
At the office Kateryna shows us the Ukrainian flag that is proudly hanging on one of the walls. Her team brought it from Kharkiv, where they visited a local hospital, having delivered humanitarian aid.
«Dobrotvorets»: help for the army
«Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna» is neighbored by a public organization «Dobrotvorets» (the Ukrainian for «benefactor» – translator’s note). These two organizations have much in common not only in terms of the location of their head offices, but also by their people. In 2014 they worked together, having later started working in separate fields. ‘Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna’ began specializing in civilians, whereas «Dobrotvores» took care of requests from the military.
Its team works in the office from early morning. A package is being put up for a serviceman whose wife came with a request.
A volunteer named Inna finds all necessary things for the package quickly. She searches through medications, canned food, dry shower kits, placing the needed items on the table. Inna has been volunteering since 2014. On February 24 she met other volunteers here. They did not know what to do, but they did know where they were supposed to get together. They were inundated with requests immediately. The volume of work has not shrunk ever since that day.
Head of the foundation, Walter Sheffer, is now on the front, so Lesya Mykhailyuk is temporarily acting as its head. She says that in 2014 Kateryna Ponomaryova and Zhanna Korol’ launched the organization Volunteers Movement of Bukovyna. They received a request to help the Ukrainian army in the Kherson direction. Afterwards they began dealing with providing aid for the military. That’s how their organization was separated into two. In 2015 the servicemen who were receiving help from the foundation set up a new one called Dobrovolets. Lesya Mykhailyuk has been working with them ever since that time.
«We receive a lot of requests, trying to cover as many as we can. If we don’t have something at our warehouse, we start searching for it. In 2014 we were mainly covering requests from individuals, but now we need everything: thermographic cameras, quadcopter, equipment. There are benefactors who constantly donate. We also do various events, for instance, «The Show of a Groundhog Professor» for kids. The show is hosted by a forcibly displaced person from Sevastopol, who came first to Kyiv and then moved to Chernivtsi. He does some scientific research. That is how we raise money for the army», says Lesya Mykhailyuk.
Not long ago the volunteers were raising money for a quadcopter by holding an auction of paintings at a local restaurant. The regional community of artists joined the event to successfully raise the needed sum.
Eight volunteers work here on a permanent basis. Each of them can fulfill the functions of any of their colleagues. However, there are healthcare workers who deal with medications.
Zhanna Korol’ shows us the thing that her organization takes much pride in: individual tactic medicine kits. A shipment of new tourniquets has just arrived. 100 of such kits are to be sent to Kharkiv. Zhanna has been volunteering since 2014.
«We are trying to make sure that our kits meet NATO standards. We look only for high-quality components: bandages and tourniquets produced in Israel. We are constantly in touch with medics on the front. There have been cases when we bought and packed kits only to be told by our medics that they were of poor quality. Thus, we had to replace the components of insufficient quality», says Zhanna.
She lays components of a medical kit out on the table: package, bandages, medical scissors that can cut through combat boots, and devices made of metal to reach a wound, hemostats, adhesive bandages, painkilling injections, etc. It is important to pack everything right so that nothing falls out of the package after it is opened, because in this case it will be difficult to lay one’s hand on a needed thing or to save someone’s life.
Zhanna shows how high-quality tourniquets work and how bleeding can be stopped at home.
«I believe that every person should know the principles of tactical medicine, how to stop bleeding, so that people working on the home front could help themselves and others», says Zhanna.
Her phone rings several times. New requests have come. What motivates Zhanna to keep volunteering?
«I want my kids and grandchildren to live in their own country. I want them to make decisions in a democratic Ukraine. I want them to feel free».
The Youth Center of Chernivtsi. A youth organization that has become a humanitarian center
We spoke to Oleksandr Hulyayev, co-founder of a public organization, in his office. It is a small but cozy room. On the wall a tissue was hanging with stickers reminding him about plans and discussions. Also, a board for notes was also to be seen on the wall.
He launched the organization in 2019. The objective was to create the first center for the youth in Chernivtsi. A team of proactive people was formed who cooperated with representatives of the city council to register an organization and start working.
«In 2021, after the ‚Residence of Youth‘ was set up, our mission was completed. Well before that we had decided to expand our activities, focusing not only on the center but trying to cover the entire youth policy. We created a youth parliament, worked out laws on youth policies, conducted training,» says Oleksandr.
The Residence of Youth is a communal institution that began its activities as an independent project of the «Youth Center of Chernivtsi» and a local Family and Youth department.
The organization’s team has 19 members: experts, project managers, experts on youth policies, grant writing, fundraising and communications. After the full-scale invasion ‚The Residence of Youth‘ has turned into a humanitarian center.
«It was like extinguishing fire. Whenever we received a request, we processed it. We were working on the premises of the Youth Center. People were bringing us clothes and we would sort them. We had to solve the issue of lots of volunteers who keep coming, not knowing what they were supposed to do. So we launched a chat on Telegram. Volunteers in Chernivtsi were asked to share their requests on the chat, while those who could offer their help took care of those requests. We were modeling all these processes», says Oleksandr.
His previous experience was helpful in many ways. People already knew his organization and trusted it.
A network of contacts was expanded. The organization began cooperating with the city council that sent a request for organizing the process of arrival of forcibly displaced persons in the city and the provision of humanitarian aid.
Therefore, the «Youth Center of Chernivtsi» came up with a digital solution, a CRM system into which its team can enter information about people coming to the city. 36 thousands of contacts have already been entered and the system keeps operating. The organization has also created e-tables to keep record of humanitarian aid cargoes delivered to the city. Oleksandr says that such help may seem insignificant, but it does make the difference.
«A request came in to help deliver 300 sandwiches and water for children who were being evacuated from Kyiv province. Volunteers came in, they found ingredients and 2 tons of drinking water. It was the second day of the full-scale invasion. We were all shocked by the news. However, I then understood that our victory was inevitable as we were self-organized. We understood one another and particular needs of others», says Oleksandr.
During the first months of the war volunteers sorted and distributed humanitarian aid working on the premises of the Residence of Youth. They received cargoes and processed requests of those who came to the residence. Now the organization has resumed its usual operations, at the same time taking care of new requests. Its team has embarked upon the task of integrating forcibly displaced persons. That is how the Youth Integration Center came into existence. The center helps people realize themselves in a new city. Experts carry out training on social entrepreneurship, project management, mental health, etc.
In the meantime, the Youth Center of Chernivtsi has resumed its activities.
«We decided to make a ‚U-turn‘ and concentrate on charitable activities. We understood that people get discouraged to make frequent donations, to give while not receiving anything in return. We were contacted by our volunteer and friend, Denys Korablyov. He organizes stand-up performances in Kyiv. He offered to do one for charity. We agreed, having managed to raise 20 thousand UAH (about 500 USD – translator’s note). We bought walkie-talkies and sent them to our defenders fighting near Kharkiv. While organizing the event, we were thinking about how we could sell tickets. We then launched a website for this purpose», says Oleksandr.
A new project was launched. The working title of the portal is Help Ukraine. The main idea behind it is that any public organization can hold an auction of its merchandise or sell tickets for the events that it organizes. This way these organizations will have a platform on which to sell its products, while all proceeds will be spent on buying aid for the military. On the website you can see for what purpose money is being raised and who the beneficiary is.
Playing the role of a technical partner, the «Youth Center of Chernivtsi» is monitoring the number of tickets sold, manages distribution and accumulates donations on its own account used for acquiring uniforms for the army. In general, the center is in charge of all issues regarding logistics and organization. With a smile on his face, Oleksandr calls it «turnkey volunteerism», saying that all you need to do is to come to volunteers with an idea and they will take care of its implementation.
This portal has already helped raise money for a truck for a Ukrainian border guards unit. People had the chance to not only make donations, but to also watch the whole process of the fundraising, i.e., how much money was raised and how much was spent.
On the website the organization is also selling its own merchandise: T-shirts and sweatshirts. Oleksandr has produced designs by himself nd he enjoys wearing these shirts. Donations are sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Helmets, plate carriers, drones, walkie-talkies, rucksacks, combat boots, pants, knee and elbow pads have already been acquired.
Work and plans are never in short supply here.
«We want to develop our cooperation with the portal and to improve it. We will win, but the people whose homes have been destroyed and who find themselves in dire conditions, will not vanish. Our main focus now is on providing more help for the army and less for IDPs. However, after the war we want to concentrate our efforts on the needs of the latter. Currently there are 70 thousand internally displaced persons living in Chernivtsi province, which means we are getting lots of requests», says Oleksandr.
He now participates in the IDPs coordination council in Chernivtsi province, dealing with housing issues for internally displaced persons.
Chernivtsi is not Oleksandr’s home city. He calls himself «an IDP from 2014». He had moved from his native city of Donetsk to Kherson, where he finished school. He then moved to Chernivtsi to study at the Chernivtsi National University. He wants to help those who have lost homes and moved to Chernivtsi province.
Things to do in Chernivtsi
Places to see
You can learn more about the city, take a walk through it and immerse yourself in its history by taking charitable tours. The fee is the sum you are willing to donate. All the proceeds are sent to the account of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The theater «Temp», Teatralna square, 5. The theater stages charitable plays and raises funds for the Ukrainian army. Stay tuned for next events!
Where to eat
Ultra Babusya, Kobylyanska street, 49/ Kayndl Raymund street, 1. This is a family restaurant that was opened by forcibly displaced persons from Slovyansk. Back there they used to run their own restaurant. Due to the full-scale invasion they had to find shelter in Chernivtsi province.
Kasha Maslom, Teatralna square, 6 is a fast-food restaurant that has been relocated from Kharkiv. Its equipment and furniture have been relocated to Chernivtsi. People from Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson oblast are working here.
Yoki, Universytetska street, 15 is a sushi delivery offering several ‚ghost’ dishes (a ‚Chornobayivka‘ or ‚Bayraktar’ set, a dessert ‚Palyanytsya‘) that you can pay for but can’t have delivered – all the proceeds are sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Syto, Ruska street, 263/A, Chornomorska street 4/A, Komarova street, 31. It is a chain of bakeries that relishes providing help. For instance, back at Easter they sent 2500 Easter cakes and doughnuts to Ukrainian soldiers who could not be with their families.
Cafe, Universytetska street, 35. It has been launched by a forcibly displaced businessman from Donetsk province. The cafe is located close to the main building of the Yuriy Fedkovych National University.
Chik Cake, Enthusiastiv alley, 12. This cafe offers delectable sweets, helping those who are in dire straits. Its team supports mothers and children of those kids who have found themselves in difficult life circumstances.
Services
Social barbershop, Universytetska street, 18. The shop is located on the premises of the territorial center for social services ‚Turbota‘. On Wednesdays and Thursdays forcibly displaced persons over 60 and people with disabilities can have their hair cut free of charge.
Coworking shelter for volunteers from other Ukrainian regions. The public organization ‚Let’s Do It, Ukraine‘ has opened up a place where volunteers helping other people can live. Sleeping places are available here, as well as a recreation area and working space. The entertainment center for children Krayina Mriy, Vynnychenka street, 20. The entrance is free from Tuesday to Friday (till 12 pm) for forcibly displaced persons, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defense units, National Guards, participants of the Anti-Terrorist Operation and children with disabilities.
