My name is Olga & I'm a proud Ukrainian, born in Zaporizhzhia.
Over the past decade I have travelled back to see family and friends. I have no words that can describe how I feel about this horrific situation. Mariupol, one of the most affected & terribly destroyed cities, is only 3h away from my hometown, where people are beyond pain, hunger, cold!
Alongside another Australian Ukrainian, Stefan Bugryn, we have established this relief fund for volunteers from "Palyanycya_Zp", and for a brave woman named Galina Goncharenko.
"Palyanycya_Zp" is a group of many volunteers organised for the territory defence in the Zaporizhjan region - they collect and buy clothes and food for volunteering soldiers as well as help refugees from other cities coming to Zaporizhizhia, especially from neighbouring city Mariupol.
Galina Goncharenko is an incredible woman - when her son tragically passed away on the frontline in the early stages of the war in 2014, her life came to a standstill. In her overwhelming trauma, she was given a choice - to let her own misery take over, or to take action. She chose the latter, and went on to establish one of Ukraine’s largest volunteer centre, Prival, which provides passing soldiers with food, shelter, shower, and basic admin assistance.
As a mother of a 4y.old, I can not look without a tear at the kids who have been affected by the evil actions of the Russian army. Mariupol residents have endured weeks of Russian bombardment with no power or running water.
My friend's family had to melt the snow so they would have some drinking water for the kids while they were hiding away from bombs and airstrikes in one of the bomb shelters... My heart stops when I see the maternity units getting shelled... My eyes can not look at the mass graves... It has to STOP!!! They all need our help now more than ever before.
Our goal is to raise as much as possible with 100% of the funds going directly to people affected by the crisis. Your donation will provide humanitarian help for those families in need - transportation, shelter, protective gear, food and medicine, including infant supplies.
Given our close links and communication to those on the ground, we believe we are best placed to provide assistance to people exactly where they need it and we know that 100% of the donations will go directly to the people in Ukraine.
Thank you for all your generosity! Slava Ukraini!
Доброго вечора,ми з Украïни!