Kyiv, Ukraine On 10 April, Zemlyachkycelebrated the second anniversary of the organisation’s founding at the Parkovy Exhibition and Convention Centre. Over this period, the organisation has closed more than 18,000 individual requests from women defenders and provided support worth more than UAH 200 million. All this was made possible thanks to the systematic support of partners and friends – Ukrainian companies, foundations and concerned Ukrainians.
“For us, charity is not only about helping, but also about a culture of mutual assistance and support that is becoming an integral part of our lives. Today, we not only promote the development of the ‘woman in the military’ culture, but also actively promote the culture of systematic charity,”
– said Ksenia Draganiuk, co-founder of the NGO Zemlyachki.
Over the course of its work, the NGO has also enlisted the systematic support of women from the home front by launching the Zemlyachky Ambassador project. Twenty-one Ambassadors have joined the project.
During the event, Zemlyachky introduced three new Ambassadors: Alyona Zahoruyko, founder of the Shpalta brand of exclusive headscarves, Anna Mishchenko, director of the Kyiv School of Public Administration named after Serhiy Nyzhnyi, and Anastasia Pavlyshyna, co-founder of Awesomic, an international marketplace for finding designers.
“Time is life. Often, it is high-quality military uniforms and ammunition that save the military from injury. That is why our task is to respond quickly to requests, provide everything the women on the front line need, and supply uniforms in line with the season. I am grateful to each Partner and each Ambassador for joining the charitable support on a regular basis. This is what helps to meet the needs of the military in a timely manner. Often, it is the uniform and ammunition that saves lives,”
– Ksenia emphasised.
The women defenders spoke about the importance of charitable and support during the panel discussion “Different. Family.Equal” panel discussion:
“Today, I cannot imagine how we could perform our combat missions without the support of charitable foundations. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, my unit was stationed in the town of Gostomel, and the surrounding settlements were occupied. We had nothing. I came out of the encirclement with only one backpack, and if it wasn’t for the support of Zemlyachok and other organisations, I have no idea how we would have survived,
– Kudriava said .
Psychological support is equally important for the military, so Zemlyachki is already working to launch a systematic training of military psychologists who will provide professional support to female defenders.
The topic of the second panel discussion was “Charity=Systematicity”, moderated by Kateryna Shapoval, editor of Forbes Ukraine. Today, the business creates creative collaborations, donates part of its profits to the needs of the military and launches a new area of systematic charity within the company.
“Our goal is to continuously and systematically help women in the military. Uncertainty and the inability to plan are the worst scenario for any business. Charity is also a business, but without profit, so I know how important it is to be able to plan and close operational issues just like in business. That is why we provide monthly support to female defenders,”
– said Karina Dubinina, founder of the largest chain of beauty salons in the BACKSTAGE BEAUTY&REFRESH business segment.
The Aurora multimarket chain is one of the organisation’s largest partners, which systematically supports women on the front line. To date, the company has closed requests for UAH 16 million.
“We believe that helping the military is primarily an investment in our common future. When choosing a charitable organisation through which we will provide assistance, we take into account efficiency. Our goal today is to help charitable organisations become systemic. For us, Zemlyachki is an example of a systemic NGO. If an organisation works systematically, it means that help for the military will come quickly and, most importantly, on time,”
– said Roman Sivkovsky, Marketing Director of Aurora multimarket chain.
Alina Steklova , a Ukrainian entrepreneur, founder and CEO of COMMSX, a PR agencyfor technology companies, has been providing charitable information support to Zemlyachki for two years:
“Today it is very important to talk about charity in the media in order to build trust. Reputation and trust are important for every company, and for a charity foundation, it comes first. When we work with Zemlyachki, we see a lot of sense in this and our work takes on a lot of meaning. It really unites the team. All the volunteers in our team always do this work with a fire in their eyes and feel highly involved in an important cause.”
The partners plan to continue to systematically help the military, launch new creative companies aimed at systematically supporting women on the front line, and develop a culture of charity to bring the Victory closer.
At the end of the evening, the sustainable partners were awarded a special distinction from the Zemlyachki NGO. The award was created from a cartridge case used by one of Runa’s defenders to defend Ukraine in one of the hot spots.
Another musical gift to the 2nd anniversary of the organisation was a performance by a friend of the Zemlyachky NGO – Ukrainian singer, poet, composer and bandura player Marina, who is known to all as Krut!
The NGO“Zemlyachky ” is engaged in providing and supporting women in the Defence Forces of Ukraine, sending women’s military uniforms (which they sew themselves), necessary ammunition, and women’s humanitarian aid on a volunteer basis. It tells about women on the frontline, supporting and promoting the culture of women in the military in Ukraine and providing psychological support to female defenders and veterans. More than 200 articles and interviews have been published about Zemlyachky in international media with a total coverage of 15,000,000,000. They received the Golden Heart award from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for their significant contribution to Ukraine’s victory.