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\u201cIt was quite a big sum for children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olga Fedchenko, project manager of the Institute of Social Policy of the Region of Kharkiv, said early in the war, people did not know what to do. They had no stamina and were glad to receive even the smallest things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When pharmacies were empty and people could not get their medication or supplies for their babies and infants, \u201cpeople were incredibly supportive of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople were willing to break one pill in half to share,\u201d she said. \u201cThe tragedy united people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They shared their stores of food as well, she said. Fedchenko also shared tragic stories of volunteers who would take aid to children in a particular community, only to find out the next day that the child had been killed in the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fedchenko was instrumental in forming \u201cSchool of Courage.\u201d Between March and May 2022, her group of volunteers provided more than 10,000 Kharkiv residents with medicine, personal care products and baby food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, when the city\u2019s pharmacy network resumed operations, volunteers helped provide suburban communities in the Kharkiv region with tools and appliances for the operation of public utilities, power generators and medical equipment. They received donations from various groups in Europe and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vadim Kovalenko is CEO of the Aurora Hotel in central Kharkiv, less than 20 miles from the border with Russia. When the Russians invaded, he opened his hotel to staff and their families. Together, they cooked for the Ukrainian military and for employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kovalenko is also a world-class athlete who had competed in triathlons, including Ironman races that involve a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. He wanted to do more to help. So, last summer, he completed a full Ironman race in the front-line zone on his own and broadcast it virtually. He finished this challenge in 9 hours and 14 minutes and raised nearly $15,000; the average monthly salary in Kharkiv does not exceed $270.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI passed a lot of … posts with the Ukrainian military; we warned them in advance,\u201d especially since it was a war zone. \u201cAnd thank God, on that day, it was calm, without missile attacks.\u201d \u201cI had almost no opportunity to train and could not properly prepare for such a difficult distance, and it was also raining the entire bicycle stage with a strong wind,\u201d he said. \u201cBut whenever it was cold and hard for me, I remembered why and for whom I did it … and fatigue passed, and thoughts to stop dissipated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cnewa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/caritasChernihiv202302_001H-768x1024.jpg\")
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