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Valentina had to leave her hometown twice due to the war – in 2014 and in 2022. She had to start her life from scratch twice and adapt to new circumstances. But thanks to a clear motivation, she managed to overcome the homesickness and continue to help her country from abroad to improve the lives of those affected by the war. She organized large shipments of baby strollers, 9 tons of humanitarian aid, and other forms of volunteering in the UK. Let's also talk about reevaluating values and the power of sisterhood in this interview with Valentina from England.
When did the war start for[...]
30.04.2023
She could have been creating costumes for Beyoncé, but she turned down opportunities to work with famous brands and designers to tailor uniforms for Ukrainian servicewomen. "What Beyoncé is up to doesn't interest me as much right now as what our women are doing on the front lines," says Hanna about her decision to step away from the fashion industry. What began as volunteering and a desire to contribute to a common cause led to a reevaluation and new challenges in her career. This is how Hanna Suvorkina became one of the organizers of the VETERANKA sewing workshop from scratch and now[...]
28.04.2023
Diana is a social photographer and photojournalist who has been working in the genres of artistic and advertising photography for 11 years. She became acquainted with the VETERANKA movement in 2021 and, together with servicewomen, has completed several projects, one of which is titled "A Warrior Woman First and Foremost - Woman." During the fifth month of the full-scale invasion, Diana was forced to leave Ukraine and relocate to the United Kingdom for her family's safety. However, she did not abandon volunteering and continues to raise significant donations abroad, using her photographs to[...]
25.04.2023
Gandia's story is a transformation from a casting manager, a second director, and a creative individual into the head of the VETERANKA volunteer headquarters. In volunteering, Gandia assists both the frontlines and the rear 24/7 – making trips with aid to the liberated territories and hotspots.
Read about how volunteering during the war saved her, about skills from the "first time in my life" category, and about daily motivation to work towards victory in this sincere interview with the representative of the volunteer movement.
When did the war start for you? What were your first[...]
20.04.2023
Valeriya Radchenko is a mother of two children, has master's degree in psychology, a catering business owner, and a volunteer. Currently, she is a craftswoman in the manufacture of camouflage nets and kikimores at the headquarters of the Women's Veterans Movement. Valeriya says: "Actually, it's not hard work, but it requires responsibility. You can't just weave it and pass it on for the sake of a tick. You have to do your job with full understanding, the best thing is that it really helps."
Valeria also understands the war as a psychologist: "PTSD is our present, so I am ready to bring[...]
13.12.2022
The volunteer movement in Ukraine is another front. A solid team of philanthropists based on the Women's Veterans Movement NGO has been working in the rapid response headquarters in Kyiv since February 25, 2022. Over 9 months of full-scale invasion, about 300 volunteers worked in the headquarters, from drivers, project managers for humanitarian aid, inventory of medicines, ammunition, to the net weaving workshop, and designers of the military workshop where they sew women's military uniforms and underwear. At the moment, the headquarters has processed more than 4,000 applications from[...]
09.12.2022
How to deliver thousands of first-aid kits from abroad and raise money at a photo exhibition? It's easy if you're Andrianna Matskiv, a volunteer of the Women Veterans and head of partnerships. Before the invasion, Audrey was engaged in real estate and after Victory plans to concentrate on the recovery of the Ukrainian economy and business. From procurement and international partnerships, from charity events to military rehabilitation, Audrey works tirelessly for Victory. Read more about how Audrey started volunteering and recovering from the stress of war.
When the invasion began,[...]
25.11.2022
Veronika Lytvynenko is a volunteer and designer of Women Volunteers. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine found the girl in Kyiv, and her entire family in Mariupol. She joined volunteering in the organization at the end of February 2022 - on the third day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. She admits, this is what gave her the resources and strength to fight, live and be useful to the country. Next - direct speech.
Back in 2014, when I was 17 years old, I heard the first shots and saw my hometown captured by the invaders. I was still a schoolgirl, I saw it with my[...]
23.11.2022
Stas Bitus is a clothing designer, now also known as a designer of women's military uniforms from the Women's Veterans Movement. Why Stas started sewing clothes for the military, how he met our paramedic Kuba and how fashion design differs from military design - read more in our interview.
Tell us about yourself and your experience.
I‘m Bitus Stanislav Antonovych, graduated from Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts,have an university degree of "Clothing Designer". From the third year, I did an internship, and then I worked part-time at a well-known Ukrainian brand,[...]
02.11.2022
When I meet new people, I typically introduce myself as a housewife. I do this partly as a form of rebellion against the unfair stigma that is often associated with this term. At the same time, my decision to stay at home was primarily due to family circumstances. Over a period of three years, someone close to me became seriously ill and we tried everything we could to save her. Unfortunately, we were not successful, and afterward, we focused on preserving her creative legacy. And just when I returned to Kyiv with my husband — literally two months! — the full-scale invasion started. I[...]
19.10.2022