Russia’s full-scale invasion left the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, including villages like Prudianka, Tsypivka, Brazhkivka, and Mala Komyshuvakha, along with the city of Izium, deeply scarred. With winter approaching, damaged roofs leave homes vulnerable to the elements. Recognizing the urgent need for shelter before winter, Razom under the auspices of our Relief Program, provided grants to Volonterska UA, Nove Misto and World foundation for Ukraine, to undertake the crucial task of rebuilding roofs.
Over the past 6 months, these communities bore the brunt of extensive damage: 90% of buildings destroyed, direct hits from unexploded ordnance, and the aftermath of shelling and explosive waves. Basic necessities became a luxury, with villages located up to 30 kilometers away from major roads, rendering them practically inaccessible. With shops, pharmacies, schools, and hospitals non-operational, the challenges were immense.
Despite these adversities, the resilient spirit of the people prevailed, and many chose to return to their villages post-de-occupation. However, the issue of housing reconstruction remained unaddressed, leaving damaged houses vulnerable to the harsh winter conditions. Mold, deteriorating ceilings, and cracked walls served as poignant reminders of the pressing need for immediate action.
United in purpose, Razom together with Volonterska UA, Nove Misto and World foundation for Ukraine have set their focus on repairing roofs and installing windows, with a clear goal: to secure homes before the unforgiving winter sets in. This ongoing project, now one and a half months underway, extends its reach to both the rural villages and the city of Izium, where over 100 private houses suffered significant damage.
The project is advancing steadily. Purchasing materials and completing repairs will span the next three months, ensuring the job is done thoroughly. Together, we’re not just rebuilding roofs; we’re restoring hope and resilience to the heart of Kharkiv and Kherson.
Within hours after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, Razom employed its developed network of grassroots organizations in Ukraine to assess the needs and start helping people in the Kherson region.
Russian deliberate actions caused a humanitarian emergency. Water from the Kakhovka water reservoir flooded wide areas, endangering and forcing thousands of civilians to leave their homes.
Our partners, Rescue Now, have been evacuating civilians and animals since the first hours. With a $25k grant provided by Razom, they have also been delivering needed supplies, including drinking water, food, hygiene products, evacuation boats, and charging stations. The team coordinated with governmental first responders to reach all places in need, despite the constant shelling and missile attacks on the region. Within only 5 days, Rescue Now also set up a humanitarian base in Kherson, which serves as a logistical hub for humanitarian aid for numerous NGOs and as a temporary shelter for evacuees.
Rescue Now, with support from Razom, responds to the emergency on the ground in Kherson
Razom Health team worked with the Ministry of Health in the Kherson region and local NGOs and went to Kherson within the first day. We delivered medicine and protective clothing to local hospitals taking in patients and survivors of the floods. In the following week, our drivers embarked on multiple trips to continue supplying hospitals. Our team in Kyiv packs the supplies while a smaller team loads up the vans and sets out to make the deliveries of aid all over the affected areas of Kherson. This way, we ensure that not a single minute is wasted.
Razom team in Ukraine works daily on humanitarian deliveries to the Kherson region
Our team members making the deliveries speak to people on the ground and learn what their needs are to communicate them to the Razom community, including our large network of local NGOs. Many of our partnering organizations and grantees are on the ground in the Kherson region as well. Volonterska, HelpGroup, Stezhka Dodomy, Ukraina SOS, Fight for Rights, and many others have been delivering humanitarian aid to people in the region.
NGO Volonterska delivers humanitarian aid from Razom in the Kherson region
Two days following the destruction, NGO “Zakhyst” from Khmelnytskyi met the first evacuees. Using a $50k grant, they support the evacuation of 1,000 people from the flooded areas of the Kherson region, welcomed and provided them with essentials such as hygiene products, clothing, and food right at the train station upon their arrival. The organization also provided evacuees with psychosocial support.
GO “Zakhyst” welcomes refugees at Khmelnytskyi train station
While out teams continue to support people amidst humanitarian crises, Razom also works to mitigate the long-term consequences of the disaster and help Ukraine prevent future russian-made catastrophes.
On the day following the destruction, Razom Advocacy team in DC immediately picked up the work. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam fits the centuries-old pattern of colonial violence and is yet another manifestation of Russian genocidal intent in Ukraine — we work to make sure the world hears that. Therefore, we reached out to more than 2,000 people in our advocacy network and mobilized them to contact their Congressional representatives and ask for support for the resolution declaring Ukraine’s invasion to be genocide (H.Res. 154 / S.Res. 72).
We have also been working to connect Ukrainians affected by the flood with media outlets so that their story can be heard by the world and increased our engagement with elected officials and their staff to keep decision-makers aware of the latest updates directly from the ground in Kherson.
The destruction of the dam caused an environmental disaster and permanently disturbed the region. As a result of russian terror, the Kakhovka water reservoir disappeared, leaving tens of thousands in the entire south of Ukraine without access to drinking water. Razom Relief team earlier installed multiple water filtering stations in Mykolaiv and Donetsk regions together with Ukrainian partner Wise Water, and now we are working to procure these stations in Kherson and provide stable access to water.
Kherson still needs help. We continue supporting evacuees who lost their homes and delivering life-saving medicine to hospitals that are taking people from affected regions. Our teams in Ukraine, alongside our local partners, will make more trips to the Kherson region to bring humanitarian aid to those in need. Razom Relief team talks to local organizations to start future projects in the region.
We work with our numerous partners in Ukraine and employ all our resources to ensure the help arrives when and where it is needed, and we ask for your support.
“This is our native land. We are not going anywhere. We are Donbas.”
“I have a lot of elderly relatives here. I can’t leave them.”
“Everywhere is dangerous. The entire country is under fire. At least here we’re home.”
These are just a few quotes from people who, despite vicious daily attacks, remain in Bakhmut. russian airstrikes and shelling destroyed the infrastructure, leaving them with no water, electricity, or heat. Out of 72 000 residents, only about 6000 stayed, including 200 children. They are encouraged to leave by both the authorities and the volunteers, who offer regular evacuations. However, due to various personal circumstances, people stay. They are not many, but they are resilient.
The horrid reality of the “russkiy mir” (“russian world”, “russian peace”) isn’t new to Bakhmut’s natives. In April 2014, pro-russian forces managed to capture parts of the city, but after a few months of fighting, ZSU (The Armed Forces of Ukraine) and The National Guard expelled them from the area. With the start of the full-scale invasion, Bakhmut Raion (district), yet again, turned into a war zone.
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Winter escalation in the Battle of Bakhmut left its residents without food, water, medicine, communications, and other most basic necessities. The besieged city is struggling to stay standing, and the continuous bombardment of the area hinders humanitarian aid. And yet, in spite of all the obstacles, Ukrainian volunteers move mountains.
Razom saw the exigency of the situation and, with help from the Lackland Family Foundation and UJA-Federation of New York, provided monetary grants to the Ukrainian NGOs working in Bakhmut. Being on the ground and listening to people’s needs, they are able to provide quick and targeted assistance.
“We have to keep working. We must let them [Bakhmut residents] know they are not alone. Their compatriots did not abandon them. Ukraine did not abandon them.”
– Says Oleksii Kurtsev, a co-founder of Ukrainian Charity Alliance, an NGO helping underprivileged and vulnerable groups since 2018. Razom partnered with UCA in May 2022 and provided them with multiple grants for humanitarian aid.
The latest grant of $30,000 is directed to help the population of the frontline territories. Because of the developed logistics and systematic approach, the UCA team quickly and strategically delivers aid to the newly liberated territories and hot zones. Each humanitarian convoy makes a few stops in multiple cities and evacuates people to safety on the way back. To Bakhmut, they delivered 600 shelf-stable grocery sets. One set will feed one person for at least a month.
Another amazing NGO helping Bakhmut residents is called “Svitliachky Blago” (“Fireflies for Hope”). Siranush Arutiunian-Bozoian started this initiative in 2015. Over the years, she organized countless events to raise funds to purchase medical equipment for public hospitals and clinics and aid social institutions like orphanages and IDP centers in the Donetsk region. Heartbreakingly, Siranush was ill and has recently passed, but her life and work touched and inspired many people. The team of “Fireflies” that she brought together continues spreading light and kindness.
In response to russian aggression and the growing humanitarian crisis, “Fireflies” formed a permanent hub for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid and organized delivery and supply of first-aid care, medication for post-chemo treatments, cancer treatments, and epileptic patients. So far, Razom Grants has provided “Fireflies” with three grants totaling $30,000. The most recent grant of $8,000 was allocated specifically for Bakhmut Raion and already allowed for forming and distribution of almost 1000 grocery sets.
A grant of $10,000 was awarded to “Angels of Salvation,” a charity organization founded by citizens from Donetsk and Luhansk regions who’ve known war since 2014. Just a few days after the invasion, they started evacuating people and, in April 2022, formed a team of 60 co-owners, set up two warehouses, and built a fleet of 25 vehicles. Svitlana, “AoS” project manager, says there are no weekends at war. Every day volunteers risk their lives to aid people in need.
With the help of Razom’s grant, “Angels of Salvation” purchased fuel, delivered 457 hygienic kits serving approximately 800 Bakhmut’s residents, and evacuated 17 people on the way back. Some people were sick, and volunteers transported them to the hospital; others went to the safer areas, each of them with just one small bag. Reuters has recently reported a story of a six-year-old girl rescued from Bakhmut. In one of the videos, you can see Razom care packages with hygienic sets delivered by volunteers.
“Adrenalin” – a Kharkiv sports club turned volunteer organization – had also recently made a trip to Bakhmut. Volunteers delivered 800 grocery kits and 300 blankets to four Points of Invincibility – the aid stations equipped with wood-burning stoves, generators, heaters, Starlinks, and kids’ play areas – and brought trench candles, canned food, and candy to the soldiers. This trip was just one of the many made possible by the $30,000 grant from Razom.
Ruslan Bayramov, the president of “Adrenalin” and Kharkiv’s resident, seems unfazed by the situation in Bakhmut. He’s used to the reality of war:
“We went there on January 13 and faced no difficulties that day. Maybe we’re used to it now… You can hear gunfire and explosions around the clock. An enemy quadcopter was hovering above us.”
Razom started aiding NGOs working in Bakhmut in April 2022. “Bakhmut Ukrainian” has been active since 2014 when Bakhmut faced the first signs of “russkiy mir”: public disturbances, illegal armed groups, and refugees. Razom awarded them with a $25,000 grant that has helped thousands of people in the Donbas region during Spring-Summer 2022. BU volunteers provided people with food, medicine, hygienic products, candles, blankets, sleeping bags, thermos vacuum flasks, generators, and more.
Multiple volunteers confirm – many organizations responded to the emergency, and Bakhmut is now pretty well supplied with food. However, the need for water is urgent because of the destroyed infrastructure. It gets to the point where people drink boiled water from Bakhmutka River. The residents also need flashlights, batteries, candles, and biomass briquettes (biofuel), among other things.
Please, consider donating to Razom Grants to help us further aid volunteer organizations in Ukraine.
The disruption of the global supply chain since February 24th, 2022 has worsened the disease burden on Ukraine’s healthcare system. Limited transportation and the halting of clinical services have erected substantial barriers to accessing health care and medications in many areas of the country. Our Razom Health Team is working hard to partner up with global leaders in healthcare and organize the delivery of diverse medical aid to Ukrainian towns and cities. The following are the highlights of their work in the month of November.
Thanks to our partners at MedShare, 11 more pallets of donated medical supplies are making their way to Ukrainian hospitals in need. This was MedShare’s sixth large shipment to Ukraine via Razom since March 2022, and this committed support is helping Ukrainian doctors save lives. We also remain grateful to our partners on the ground Zdorovi Agency, who are distributing these critical supplies within Ukraine.
Another large donation of medications that are providing life-saving support to Ukrainian hospitals was contributed by our generous partners at CMMB. And thanks to Airlink Flight and again Zdorovi Agency, these medications are getting to the people who need them most, as quickly as possible.
Remember those butterfly network iQ+ portable ultrasounds that Razom procured earlier? We’re happy to report that 14 of these devices have been distributed among Ukrainian hospitals in dire need, once again thanks to our partners Zdorovi Agency. These ultrasounds are already helping doctors treat patients in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, and Mykolaiv. Portable ultrasounds are vital in providing diagnostic evaluation in emergency situations. They enable clinicians to diagnose and treat patients faster, more accurately, and in a non-invasive way.
Health care leader Henry Schein is helping us support Ukraine – and Razom is grateful. Henry Schein donated 17 pallets of hygiene kits through our dedicated partner MedShare, providing essential items and honoring the dignity of Ukrainian civilians living amid war. Razom grantee and partner Rescue Now distributed these kits, in line with their ongoing work to provide humanitarian aid in Eastern Ukraine. The individuals pictured here are residents of Kharkiv.
Our community’s financial support makes this life-saving and health-supporting work possible, and we are grateful to all of you and our incredible partners in the health care field.
And we also remain deeply grateful to our partners on the ground like Zdorovi Agency, Airlink Flight and Rescue Now, who are distributing these medical supplies within Ukraine.
Razom Health Team works on obtaining and delivering large in-kind donations to Ukrainian hospitals that need them the most. Such donations are medical equipment, furniture and supplies. Razom Health is a part of the Razom Emergency Response. If you have suggestions of large donations to hospitals, reach out to the team at hospitals@razomforukraine.org.
Oksana Falenchuk, Razom Board Member, Treasurer and Hospitals Team leader, has recently returned from Ukraine. These are her field notes that both inform and inspire. And as Oksana believes: “It is a very special time to visit Ukraine. If you have any desire to, you should”.
~ by Oksana Falenchuk:
Visiting Ukraine during the war won’t be easy to forget, but fearing that memories fade I decided to put some of the thoughts in writing. I have not witnessed the actual war – the cities of Lviv and Ivano Frankivsk are away from the frontlines and, aside from an occasional air siren and 11pm curfew, everyday life feels completely normal. The fact that electricity is on, showers have hot water, coffee shops and restaurants are buzzing and store shelves are full, is a reflection of Ukraine’s resiliency. Faced with an existential choice, people decided to preserve their everyday lives – celebrate holidays, shop, party, go to concerts, and travel. Just like the Americans did after 9/11. It is a very special time to visit Ukraine. If you have any desire to, you should.
I am grateful to the people who gave me their time, met for coffee or dinner, shared a walk or a car ride. Too many meetings and unexpected run-ins to mention everyone.
Our Razom for Ukraine team in Lviv is incredible – they built a complex logistical operation within a short few months, they work hard, always with a smile. The coffee at the office is the best, and there was always something sweet and yummy to go with it.
Our medical aid partners Zdorovi Agency and Patients of Ukraine are effectively cooperating on distributing critical medical supplies, medications and equipment to Ukrainian hospitals, but are also planning for the future, focusing on projects that will bring modern diagnostic equipment and designing programs for physical and mental rehabilitation of the victims of war.
I was fortunate to visit the opening of Ukrainian Leadership Academy (UAL). Being among the brightest 16-year-olds gives you incredible energy and hope. The war has disrupted UAL’s life in a major way – last year, they operated in several locations across Ukraine, including Mariupol, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Kyiv. Now everyone is consolidated in Lviv. Close to 100 of UAL’s alumni and staff are fighting on the frontlines, and four of their boys lost their lives. The war takes our best.
Building Ukraine Together (BUR) has always been a personal favorite grassroots organization. BUR is renovating housing for the displaced people so they can integrate into their new communities. They have grown and institutionalized, but the camps are still run with minimal comforts as my son Mark can attest. That’s part of the charm!
Ukraine’s cultural life is vibrant. Marjana Savka, over coffee at her bookshop, noted that the sales of modern Ukrainian literature have gone up since the war, as well as requests for translations from overseas. Pavlo Gudimov’s YaGallery’s current exhibit bears this slogan at the entrance: “Glory to Ukraine and glory to the Armed Forces, which give us the opportunity to engage in culture: to build the future in wartime!”
Ukrainian businesses have mobilized for the war but continue to innovate, among them Fest , Promprylad, Urban Space. One of the ways we can support Ukraine is to buy Ukrainian and keep the economy going. I didn’t do much shopping on the trip but got some sustainable fashion at Framiore, floral ceramics at EtnostylFaino and stocked up on everyone’s favorite beverage П’яна Вишня.
Finally, the main purpose of the trip – the first medical mission to Ukraine, a joint project of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), Razom for Ukraine and INgenius. 14 American surgeons and nurses for a week operated on patients with severe injuries of face and neck at the Ivano Frankivsk Oblast hospital alongside the Ukrainian colleagues led by an incredible Dr Komashko. Close to 40 procedures, some lasted as long as 10 hours. The group brought $325K in medical supplies (including custom designed implants) and donated ~$300K in the value of surgeries. Razom z Toboyu therapists provided counseling and psychological support . A chance of new life for 31 patients. People from Bucha, Izyum, Kherson, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy. People with wounds and burns from shelling, mine explosions, direct gunshots, artillery fire. None of those things had to happen to them. The real scars of war are only beginning to show. And healing them will take generations.
Razom has been at the forefront of humanitarian response in Ukraine since day one of the full scale invasion. As the war continues to rip our country, we are focusing our efforts on winter preparedness, supporting the local healthcare institutions and grassroots NGO, and advocating for Ukraine on the global stage. Please support our efforts.
Some of the most heartbreaking stories and photos that Razom have received were from the Ukrainian Charity Alliance, a Kharkiv-based non-profit charitable organization currently focusing on helping people with limited mobility and the elderly.
Formed in September 2018 to unite various civil initiatives, the organization prioritized fighting poverty and supporting volunteer movement in the Kharkiv region. Their Instagram and Facebook feed were full of educational posts and reports about charitable projects like Share Food (in support of the Food for Life initiative), the UBA volunteer center (workshops for young volunteers), Give Love to a Child, and others. That stopped on February 23, 2022, because the following day changed everything. Now their only priority is helping people survive.
The endless pain and horror that russian troops brought to Ukraine affected everyone, especially the most vulnerable persons who had no means to fend for themselves. People with disabilities, the elderly, and families with many children, particularly those who remain in war zones or were displaced, are now entirely reliant on volunteer support.
The Ukrainian Charity Alliance is providing these people with food, medicine, and basic necessities, as well as assistance in finding shelter and rebuilding damaged homes. During the first few days of the full-scale invasion, they distributed 400 kg of food, managed to fundraise 20,000 UAH to buy supplies for 50 families living in the bomb shelters, and assisted in evacuating people from Kharkiv.
Razom for Ukraine provided the Ukrainian Charity Alliance with multiple grants totaling $150,000 that resulted in 6,880 food kits with long shelf life. All assistance was provided to people in residential areas of Kharkiv and its region that suffered significant damage, as well as communities that accommodated a large number of internally displaced people from the occupied territories. Volunteers distributed the food packages and hand-delivered them to people with limited mobility.
Each kit included:
Pasta – 2 kg
Rice grain – 2 packs
Wheat grain – 2 packs
Buckwheat grain – 1 kg
Canned meat – 2-3 pcs
Canned fish – 2 pcs
Oil – 1 liter
Sugar – 1 kg
Chocolate – 1 pc
Snacks – 2 pcs
Tea – 1 pack
In June, our board member Maryna Prykhodko, a Kharkiv-native, joined the Ukrainian Charity Alliance on their trip to deliver aid to Zolochiv, a town in the Kharkiv region located just 10 km from the border with russia that was under occupation for three months. You can find out more about her experience and Razom’s partnership with UCA in our Facebook posts.
Kyrylo is a young guy who fell off the sixth floor and broke both legs before the full-scale invasion started. He spent a long time in a hospital but couldn’t afford a costly list of prescribed medications and painkillers. Being completely immobilized and fighting excruciating pain, he needed help to survive the new reality of the treacherous russian war that targets Ukrainian residential areas.
Trying to get assistance, he reached out to various organizations, but nobody believed him. His young age and a request for scheduled drugs labeled him a drug addict. Thankfully, one of the Rescue Now volunteers decided to give him a chance and requested his hospital records and prescriptions, identification information, and photos. After he provided all the paperwork, volunteers visited him in person, and it became apparent – he lives alone and can’t survive on his own. Now he has people supporting him, providing humanitarian aid and much-needed assistance in getting to the doctor’s appointments.
Moreover, Rescue Now offered Kyrylo to join their initiative. He’s already attending online meetings, and everyone says he’s an awesome guy who needed a chance to fight his circumstances. He’s eager to become of service, has already completed the call-center operator training, and will soon join the Rescue Now team as a full-time volunteer.
A family of three – parents 58 and 56 years old, and their 34 years old son – adults who various organizations rejected because they were supposed to be able to fend for themselves. Except their house burned down with all their belongings, they had no savings left, no warm clothes, no food, and they couldn’t find jobs because the war was raging in their city. Rescue Now is the only organization that took them under their wing and helped them survive the hardship.
A lonely old lady who couldn’t move on her own needed a wheelchair and assistance to get home from the hospital. The ambulance refused to help her because they only give rides TO the hospital, not FROM it. It’s hard to imagine the horror she’d be in if it weren’t for volunteers from Rescue Now!
These are only a few of the thousands of stories that Rescue Now deals with daily. They have now evacuated over 17 000 people and even almost 1000 pets! More than 67 000 families received humanitarian aid packages. And while they prioritize assisting people with disabilities, limited mobility, and the elderly, they understand that not every situation is black and white. They refuse the cookie-cutter approach in their volunteer work and try to provide help to everyone who truly needs it during this horrific time.
In early April, they reached out to Razom, asking for assistance evacuating and feeding people. By now, Razom for Ukraine has provided them with five grants totaling $140,000. All funds went towards evacuations (including those for people with special needs) and the formation and delivery of humanitarian aid packages. Rescue Now has proved to be a trusted and invaluable partner in Ukraine’s fight for peace and freedom.
As per Razom Grants Team mandate, our most important goal is to prepare the Ukrainian people for the brutal winter that is just around the corner. Rescue Now team is doing the same. They urgently need funding for the transit evacuation center in Pokrovsk, equipping the evacuation teams with radios, gear, and winter/snow tires. Their top priority is to supply shelters and internally displaced people with generators, heaters, portable stoves, warm clothes, and blankets.
Rescue Now volunteer efforts are indispensable. Thousands of people are alive and safe because of their work and determination. Watch the video to get acquainted with these wonderful people, and don’t forget to spread the word!
Taxi fleet, CRM, and logistics are the three components that make the charitable organization “Yellow Help” incredibly efficient and successful in its mission. When russia started the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, three fellow entrepreneurs got together and organized a volunteering initiative to address the humanitarian crisis in Kharkiv. More than 70 volunteers have joined the team, and now they pack and deliver over 800 food aid packages daily.
Mykola Minaev, the founder of the Yellow Taxi service, stayed in Kharkiv and turned 54 cars from his taxi fleet into evacuation vehicles. Oleksiy Siromolot, an entrepreneur and business automation specialist, established the call center and introduced an improved CRM system that supports the fund’s operations. Oleksandr Kusayko, the head of the construction company, organized the supply of humanitarian aid in warehouses in Kharkiv and set up logistics. As a result, Yellow Help evacuated more than 5,000 families during the first days of the war and set up a sustainable food aid delivery system.
Today Yellow Help has multiple projects:
“Save lives” is focused on providing food aid.
“A place of rest” works on creating district aid centers.
“The health of Kharkiv residents” offers medical consultations and medicine delivery.
“Hearing Ukraine” helps people whose hearing has been affected by the war.
“The united informational call center 5505.”
5505 is the latest Yellow Help project and a number that all Kharkiv residents should remember and share with those who need help the most. Calling 5505, people can get phone consultation on evacuation, food assistance, medical, psychological, and legal issues.
Yellow Help reports its work and achievements on the official website yellow-help.com.ua, Instagram @yellow_help_kh, Facebook @yellowHelpKh, and Telegram t.me/yellow_help.
The high level of efficiency, professionalism, and, most importantly, the huge commitment to Kharkiv and its residents attracted the attention of Razom for Ukraine. That’s why, when humanitarian aid stopped flowing into the Yellow Help’s warehouses, Razom granted them $130,000. These funds have already purchased over 100 tons of food and 20,000 liters of fuel and will ensure the formation and delivery of about 15,000 food aid kits per month.
What does it mean to build a civil society? Can Ukraine become a model of new statehood where volunteer initiatives surpass the professionalism and efficiency of foreign organizations and government agencies? In the interview for Razom, co-founder and chairman of the PFVMH Supervisory Board, Gennadiy Druzenko shares his perspective.
Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital, or PFVMH, began to form after an attempt to disperse the Euromaidan in Kyiv by force on November 30, 2013. Volunteers, doctors, and medical professionals set up improvised medical brigades and later formed underground hospitals to help the victims of the Revolution of Dignity. In December 2014, PFVMH started working in the ATO zone. Over the next five years, more than half a thousand volunteers – physicians, paramedics, and support staff – did more than fifty rotations in the ATO area (later the JFO zone). They saved thousands of lives, and people started calling them the Angels in White Coats.
On February 24, 2022, russia launched its infamous and insidious war. Once again, the angels went where people needed them the most. For almost four months now, volunteer doctors, working in difficult frontline conditions and risking their lives, have been providing medical care to the victims: first in Kyiv and Zhytomyr, and since May in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Lending a hand to mobile military hospitals, PFVMH has now set up its evacuation and stabilization points in Chasiv Yar and Sloviansk. Evacuation carriages also reach the Luhansk region near Lysychansk.
Donors and doctors from around the world join the project and help save the lives of military and civilian victims. Medical professionals from Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Canada, and the US have come to do the rotations. For example, in May this year, Jennifer Malley, a California emergency nurse, was part of one of the PFVMH crews. She was impressed by the results that Ukrainian doctors achieved with minimal resources and compared russia’s war against Ukraine with the biblical David and Goliath.
From its creation until today, PFVMH has existed exclusively on non-state funds. Since April 2022, Razom for Ukraine has been assisting the hospital with tactical medicine and has provided a grant of $95,000. These funds have already purchased a bus to evacuate the wounded and transport medics and fuel. During the war, the need for mobile equipment is exceptionally high. Right now, PFVMH requires a portable X-ray ($40,000) and armored ambulances.
It is important to understand that Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital is not only about medical care but also the community and the dedication of volunteers who save thousands of people. “This is the prototype of future Ukraine. We owe it to those who gave their lives for it.” – Gennadiy Druzenko
Уроки людяності та успішного громадянського суспільства від ПДМШ ім. Миколи Пирогова
Як виглядає незалежне громадянське суспільство побудоване на принципах самоорганізації, волі та відповідальності? Чи може Україна стати зразком нової державності, де волонтерські ініціативи перевершують професійність та ефективність іноземних організацій чи державних установ? На ці та інші питання в інтервʼю для Razom відповідає Геннадій Друзенко – співзасновник і Голова Наглядової Ради ПДМШ ім. Миколи Пирогова.
Перший добровольчий мобільний шпиталь або ПДМШ почав формуватися ще 30 листопада 2013 року. Тоді, після спроби силового розгону Євромайдану в Києві, було створено імпровізовані медичні бригади, а потім і підпільні шпиталі, які допомагали постраждалим учасникам Революції Гідності. А вже у грудні 2014 року ПДМШ як системний проєкт розпочав свою діяльність в зоні АТО. За наступні пʼять років більше півтисячі добровольців – медиків, парамедиків, допоміжного персоналу – здійснили більше пʼятдесяти ротацій у зоні АТО (пізніше зона ООС). Вони врятували тисячі життів і отримали цілком виправдане звання янголів у білих халатах.
24 лютого 2022 року росія розпочала свою ганебну, підступну війну – і янголи вирушили туди, де їх найбільш потребують. Вже майже чотири місяці медики-добровольці, працюючи у тяжких прифронтових умовах і ризикуючи своїм життям, надають медичну допомогу постраждалим: спочатку у Київській та Житомирській, а від травня – у Донецькій та Луганській областях. Підставивши плече військовим мобільним госпіталям, ПДМШ наразі облаштували власні евакуаційно-стабілізаційні пункти у Часовому Яру та Словʼянську, а евакуаційні екіпажі доїжджають також до Луганщини в районі Лисичанська.
Донори й лікарі з усього світу долучаються до проєкту та допомагають рятувати життя військових і цивільних, постраждалих від війни. На ротаціях вже були лікарі з Німеччини, Австрії, Франції, Великої Британії, Канади та США. Так, наприклад, у травні цього року в складі одного з екіпажів ПДМШ працювала Дженніфер Маллі – медсестра невідкладної допомоги із Каліфорнії. Вона була вражена результатами, яких українські медики досягають маючи мінімальні ресурси, і порівняла війну росії проти України з біблійними Давидом та Голіафом.
Від моменту створення і до сьогодні, ПДМШ існує виключно на недержавні кошти. З квітня 2022 року Razom for Ukraine допомагає шпиталю тактичною медициною та надали грант у розмірі 95 000 доларів США. На ці кошти вже було придбано бус для евакуації поранених та транспортування медиків, а також паливо. Але в умовах війни необхідність у коштах для придбання високотехнологічного мобільного обладнання особливо висока. Наприклад, наразі ПДМШ потребує портативний рентген (40 000 доларів США) та броньовані швидкі.
Сьогодні дуже важливо розуміти, що Перший добровольчий мобільний шпиталь ім. Миколи Пирогова – це не тільки про медичну допомогу, це про спільноту і самовідданість добровольців, які продовжують рятувати тисячі людей. “Це прообраз і паросток майбутньої України, за яку не буде соромно перед тими, хто поклав за неї життя.” – Геннадій Друзенко
Given humanitarian needs change by the hour and come from multiple geographical points at the same time, Razom awards grants to grassroots initiatives in Ukraine who are responding quickly to the needs of civilians and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
As of today 40 Ukrainian non-profit organizations have received grants from Razom supporting their much-needed work in the regions. The total amount of over $1.6M has been awarded to the grantees, with a large portion of it going to our Razom partner of many years – Building Ukraine Together (Будуємо Україну Разом), whose hard work is currently fully dedicated to helping IDPs and Ukrainians in the most war-affected areas.
Here are some of other amazing Razom grantees and their impact:
Ukrainian Charity Alliance (Український Благодійний Альянс) was awarded $16,000 to create and deliver over 780 kits of food essentials that have a long shelf life for civilians with low mobility in the Kharkiv region. They also provided humanitarian aid for shelters housing those that lost their homes in the bombing and occupation of regions surrounding Kharkiv. World-renowned poet, writer, native-Kharkivite, and Razom partner, Serhiy Zhadan attended some of those shelters to help deliver aid.
The charity organization Call of the Heart (З покликом в серці) received a grant to do their critical work in Chernihiv. They wrote: “For 2 months these people were without food, there were enemies surrounding their homes, the neighboring homes were burned down. People lived in terror and anticipation because their villages were occupied. Now they are free from invaders but they faced a humanitarian catastrophe. A few days later, our volunteers brought humanitarian aid to five villages in the Chernihiv region. Almost 1,000 people received food packages with canned food, groceries, cookies, condensed milk, halva, nuts, baby formula, etc., and personal hygiene products.”
The Korsaks’ Museum of Ukrainian Modern Art in Lutsk was awarded $16,000 to help operate a shelter for evacuees and refugees in Ukraine. In April alone, they provided 12,983 days of shelter for IDPs, including 120 permanent residents (all 30 days) and 1,163 temporary residents (4 days on average). They converted a section of “Adrenalin City” (the local Lutsk mall) and adjacent hostel into a shelter filled with beautiful modern art from the museum founder’s personal collection. The group runs frequent art, craft, yoga, breathing, dancing, and performance art workshops for kids and adults, providing ample opportunity for IDPs to rehabilitate and recover.
Volonterska UA was awarded $30,000 to deliver food and medicines to the elderly and people with disabilities in Kharkiv. With this grant, volunteers were able to deliver medicine to 770 Kharkivites who desperately needed it, delivered more than 4,400 food packages directly into the hands of those in need, and even purchased and delivered pet food around Kharkiv. Their call center receives 1,000 calls daily and has built up a team that can process 300-350 requests per day.
We are grateful to these amazing volunteers for their hard work! And thank you to all the Razom’s supporters and donors for making this all possible!
Follow Razom on social media to see more updates from Razom Grants team. For any inquiries and with questions about the grant program, write to grants@razomforukraine.org.
Co-presented by Razom for Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute, Kyiv, this vibrant event runs through October 31st across New York, offering a rich blend of Ukrainian poetry, prose, and contemporary cinema.
Meet acclaimed writers like Halyna Kruk, Marianna Kiyanovska, Ostap Slyvynsky, and many others, and experience award-winning films such as “Porcelain War” and “La Palisiada”.
Check out the full schedule and ticket info below!