Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers can apply together with a Ukrainian partner they have worked with in some way during their past service. Funding priorities for the program include humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: Katherine Braga, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2011-2013

Ukrainian Partner: Lesia, teacher

Region: Romny, Sumy Oblast

More than 10 million Ukrainians (nearly a quarter of the population) were left without power in the first winter of Putin’s war on Ukraine^[1]. Russia’s continuous attack on Ukraine’s power grid throughout the winter meant that civilians were often deprived of basic services and needs such as electricity, water, and heat. With bomb shelters usually located under ground, losing electricity often meant hours of sitting in a dark, cramped and crowded room dependent only on battery power to operate phones, lights, etc. With sub-zero temperatures, losing access to heat often meant life-threatening conditions and mentally traumatic experiences.

RPCV Katherine Braga and Ukrainian teacher Lesia received a Peremoha Mini-Grant to replace and purchase new equipment to heat and provide lighting for five air raid shelters located in one of the schools in the town of Romny, Sumy Oblast. These five shelters serve about 1,000 school children, teachers, and school staff as well as surrounding community members and internally displaced families. When the community is lucky, the shelters are only used 7-10 hours per week. However, they are often used for 4-5 hours per day.

The Town of Romny is located in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy and has a population of nearly 40,000. With Russia’s rapid advance into Ukraine in the Spring of 2022, Romny found itself on a main transit route used by Russian forces to move military equipment from the border to Kyiv. The town’s strategic location meant that it was mostly spared from violent attacks, but often surrounded by hostile forces. Furthermore, as Russia’s troops sought to control other parts of Sumy Oblast, Romny was subject to many air raids throughout the winter - air raids that continue to this day. 

Sadly, School No. 8 of Romny was bombed by a Russian drone on August 23, 2023. The attack killed the head teacher, her deputy, a secretary, and librarian. This adds to the more than 360 educational facilities that have been completely destroyed in Ukraine and more than 3,000 that have been damaged during the war with Russia.^[2] We mourn these losses even as we are relieved Lesia's school remains intact. 

 With the Peremoha Mini-Grant, Lesia was able to purchase 20 energy efficient lamps, 5 powerful heaters, 7 lamps with power accumulators and chargers, 2 portable power banks, and 100 liters of fuel.

The energy efficient lamps are installed in the school’s canteen, which serves as one of the shelters. The old lamps there used so much electricity that the generator couldn’t work properly, so improving efficiency was a high priority. The powerful heaters are used in the two coldest and wettest shelters located outside the school. The lamps with accumulators have solar panels. Since they are portable, they can be used to light the shelters, and also be moved to light the classrooms when the school is operating without electricity. The power banks are used to charge mobile devices, the portable lamps, or as a source for other electrical needs that arise. 

Sumy Oblast has hosted dozens of Peace Corps Volunteers since the launch of Peace Corps Ukraine in 1992. As a community, Romny has opened its hearts and doors to five Volunteers who have collectively called the town their home for over a decade.

Click the video below for a short message from the children of Romny:

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers can apply together with a Ukrainian partner they have worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program include humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: Geoffrey Glenn, Community Development, 2016-2018, current Virtual Service Pilot Participant 

Ukrainian Partner: Mykola - Past Director, current Board of Directors member of NGO Dobrochyn

Region: Rivnenska Oblast

In response to the terrorist bombing of critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, regional government and non-governmental organizations have developed a network of warming shelters and distribution centers known as "Points of Invincibility" (Пункти Незламності). These centers serve the needs of the local population by providing heat and electricity to civilians when there are blackouts or brownouts (drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system) due to severe weather or military events. By providing a place to be warm in the winter and to charge electrical devices, these centers are especially important for the elderly, health impaired, and bedridden. 

Mykola, in coordination with NGO Dobrochyn and the city of Dubno Charitable Foundation Dobrobut, secured a location for a new Point of Invincibility in the city of Dubno. With the Peremoha grant, they bought a portable recharging station, thermal hot water tank, and electrical convection heaters. 

People of Dubno with supplies for a new community heating and recharging center 

Dubno is logistically centered at the crossroads of three main highway systems. Because of its location, the new Point of Invincibility will ultimately serve a larger population of persons who are in transit and seeking temporary services in the Dubno region. To date, there are approximately 3,500 displaced families/persons residing in Dubno,  and there are not enough Points of Invincibility to serve the population. For people already living in compromised situations, in transit, or in temporary shelters, these Points are critical to sustaining life and communication with family and loved ones. Points of Invincibility not only serve a practical purpose in response to local needs, but also offer social and communal support.

Unfortunately, nobody knows when the war will end - but Points of Invincibility will help hundreds of Ukrainians keep warm in the winter and keep in touch with loved ones, helping those who need it most throughout the war.

This project is one of several that Geoffrey and his colleagues in Dubno have worked on together - and you can hear about both of the Peremoha grants they've been awarded in this video published by Dobrobut (in English with Ukrainian subtitles). 

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today!  

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: Ashley Wichman, Community Development, 2013-2014

Ukrainian Partner: Nina, Director, Kalinowe Grono and Sumy Public Circle

Region: Sumy Oblast

Ashley had the joy of serving in Sumy and helping out with several types of projects during her (too short!) service. 

Her primary hosting partner was Nina (first name only to protect our Ukrainian colleagues), the Director of the Kalinowe Grono NGO, focused on protecting the rights of children and families. Ashley helped support fundraising and grant writing before she was emergency evacuated with all Peace Corps Volunteers who served in 2014. Even though Ashley was unable to serve the full term, she was able to return to Sumy and visit Nina in 2017. 

Nina has stayed in Sumy during the invasion, continuing her tireless work to support the most vulnerable in the community and to promote community development projects.

Nina is now the Director of the NGO Sumy Public Circle. They used the Peremoha Mini Grant funds to provide both near-term and long-term support to the Sumy region:

Immediate humanitarian assistance

• Conducted a needs assessment in three towns: Krasnopillia, Sadivska, Okhtyrka
• Purchased and distributed 22 blankets, 44 pairs of winter socks, and 2 blanket + pillow sets to 22 vulnerable residents, all who are over age 60

Long-term civil society development

• Conducted 3 leadership and civil society trainings for youth, focused on: conflict resolution, grant writing, fundraising, communications, crisis management and strategic management skills.
  
  
   

  One of the youth trainings conducted in Okhtyrka

As Nina wrote in the grant report, “The war caused significant damage to Ukraine - infrastructural damage, destruction, and mass evacuation of the civilian population. It became a test for local self-government, but also encouraged communities to strengthen their own potential and play an important role in ensuring the stability of the country.

Nina and the NGO look forward to continuing their work to support sustainable community engagement, both during the conflict and especially beyond. 

You can follow Sumy Public Circle’s work on Facebook and via their website. 

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today!  

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees. 

RPCV: Paige Barrows (TEFL)

Ukrainian Partner: Olya, teacher and volunteer

Region: Cherkaska Oblast

Paige and her Peace Corps counterpart Olya applied for the mini-grant with the plan to provide aid to more than 500 internally displaced Ukrainians living in their village.

Since the beginning of the war, Paige has been raising money in the US and sending it to her counterpart. She and a group of teachers, all from the school where she worked, have been working tirelessly to purchase items and provide care for families from the north, east, and south of Ukraine, as well as reserve military units previously staged nearby. They have been able to provide food, toiletries, clothing, and other essentials to thousands in their centrally-located community.

The $1,125 from this grant has been used to purchase several items for an area constructed as a community space for refugees. They can cook, relax, and gather in this area. Many of them are living with other families, so it also gives them a bit more living space in case they are feeling cramped or like a burden living in someone else's home. 

Paige and her counterpart wanted to purchase items that could be used by many people and could provide sustainable aid to those in need.

The items purchased with the grant funds are:

- a refrigerator

- a meat grinder

- two water coolers

- one large electric kettle

- two regular electric kettles

- materials to complete the communal area

Through additional fundraising, Paige was recently able to supply the community center, as well as the homes of refugees, with 22 pots, 23 frying pans, and 22 teapots (non-electric due to frequent power outages).

If you'd like to provide direct help to Ukrainians, she encourages you to support a couple of her friends in Ukraine who have been working tirelessly to provide for community members and deliver humanitarian aid to the front lines:
 

Hug Me Foundation (Фонд Обійми мене) 
Founder: Alla Kalytochka
Paypal: @foundhugme

Bread of Synelnykov Foundation (Фонд Паляниця Синельниківщини)
Founder: Serhii Komnarenko
Paypal: skomnarenko@gmail.com

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today! 

 Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory. 

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees. 

RPCV: Sarah Friedman (TEFL, 2011-2014)

   Ukrainian Partner: Lidiia, Educator

   Region: Poltavska Oblast

While working in Ukraine with the Peace Corps, I lived in a small town with an excellent school. I taught there for three years. After leaving Ukraine, one of my fellow teachers, Lidiia, became the school principal. She said if I send her donations, she will be able to give them directly to students. Because my town is smaller, it’s accepting internally displaced students (IDS) from across Ukraine. At the time we submitted the grant application, Lidiia's school had taken in about 60 kids, but she said that, as the war continues, there will probably be more (and that has proven to be the case). 

“We are hiding periodically in bunkers but still teaching children online. My teachers work from home, my supervisors and I work from school. We have learnt to go very quickly in the street between the signals of sirens, to sleep half dressed, to take a shower in 3 minutes, not to leave dirty dishes, because we are not sure that we will be able to wash up later, we have learnt thousands of things which didn't exist in the normal life. But we have learnt to appreciate simple joys like to awaken, to be able to clean teeth, to wash clothes, not to be hungry. ”—Lidiia, school principal.

I asked Lidiia what we can buy to help her help the children who were forced out of their hometowns and are in need of an education. She said she is building a classroom for her students. Parents and other volunteers around the town offered to help repair old desks so she wouldn't have to buy new ones. She also found people who would repair lights in the newly furnished classroom. We applied to the Peremoha Mini-Grants program and received a grant for $1,500. Lidiia raised the rest of the money to create a new classroom for her students. A quick thinker, she asked for funds for a computer, printer, and laminator so she could copy materials as more students came to her school. She also asked for a speaker to help make announcements through the school for student safety. 

This speaker is important for safety announcements. Students may need to take shelter at a moment's notice. 

300 students now go to Lidiia's school while hundreds are still learning online from home. To ensure student safety, she is creating a classroom in the basement and creating a second exit to the school. Once construction is finished, her school will be the safest place for anyone to be in the town.

The video at below shows her hard work:

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today! 

 Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory. 

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees. 

RPCV: Violet Esipila, Youth Development 2017-2019, Response 2019-2020

Ukrainian Partner: Olena, advocate and leader of NGO "Smile of a Child - Inclusion Mykolaiv"

Region: Mykolaivska Oblast

After completing two years of service in a small, central Ukrainian village, Violet Esipila continued her service as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer and moved to the large southern city of Mykolaiv. There, she worked with the organization Smile of a Child - Inclusion Mykolaiv to support parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. Today, Mykolaiv is on the front lines of the war with invading Russian forces. Since the beginning of the invasion, the city has  sustained significant infrastructure damage. For many people with disabilities, leaving is not an option - evacuation is too difficult. Now, the coming winter brings with it the threat of living in damaged buildings without consistent power for heating. 

Violet (second from right) with the Inclusion Mykolaiv team during her service in 2020. Photo credit: Olena's son, Alex

From the very beginning of the invasion, Violet took action to support the team at Inclusion Mykolaiv. She helped them develop their online presence and raise funds to provide food and medicine. 

"Prior to war, the parents and caregivers would receive free medication from local resources," she shared. "Because of the current war, all rehabilitation facilities are closed, majority of parents and caregivers have lost the financial resources to continue to provide resources for their children... they are worried about the
incoming winter and due to high gas prices for heating households." 
 

To complement her direct fundraising, Violet applied for a Peremoha Mini-Grant and was awarded $1,500. The funds were used to purchase warm winter blankets from a domestic Ukrainian supplier who offered a discount on shipping. 50 families - clients of Inclusion Mykolaiv - received the blankets free of charge. Remaining funds were used to purchase medications. 

One of Ukraine's popular media outlets, Suspilne Media, published a Ukrainian-language news story about the project: Допомога волонтерів із США. Миколаївським дітям з інвалідністю подарували ковдри. 
 

"Our building was damaged by shelling, but it didn't hit our floor - the windows are intact. But we're preparing for the possible cold weather. We ordered heaters, and the blankets we received today will be useful", shared a parent quoted in the Suspilne article. 

Photo courtesy of Smile of a Child - Inclusion Mykolaiv

Ukraine now faces what will likely be the most challenging winter since its independence in 1991. Organizations like Inclusion Mykolaiv, and the RPCVs that work with them, will have to continue to adapt and respond to what were once unimaginable circumstances. However, we know we are in it together. 
 

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today! 

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees. 

RPCV: Chris Smith, TEFL 2004-2006

Ukrainian Partner: Tetiana, teacher and volunteer

Region: Khmelnytska Oblast

Grassroots volunteer efforts are a core part of Ukraine’s response to the Russian military invasion and resulting humanitarian crisis. RPCV Chris Smith used a Peremoha Mini-Grant to support the impressive volunteer work of teachers at the lyceum where Chris once served as a TEFL Volunteer. The teachers there have been mobilizing since February 2022 and providing portable, preserved food for delivery to areas experiencing food shortages due to acute conflict. 

A volunteer dressed in Ukraine’s national colors receives jars of stew to preserve.

The teachers donate their time to collect food and jars from the community and prepare nourishing meals like meat stew and shelf-stable dried breakfast pouches. Once ready, the preserved food is stored at the lyceum, where national volunteer groups pick it up and deliver it to eastern Ukraine and other places in need.

Preparing salo, or cured pork fat, a nutrient-dense staple of Ukrainian cuisine that requires no refrigeration.

While many ingredients were generously donated by volunteers and local residents - some even giving vegetables from their home gardens - funds were needed to purchase jars, lids, and fuel for transportation, along with harder-to-get items like meat and salo, which were purchased at a discount from supportive local vendors. With Peremoha grant funding, the volunteer team was able to prepare 853 jars of stew and approximately 90 liters of salo. All of this food was then transported to some of the hardest-hit places in eastern Ukraine. 

Loading up food for delivery to those in need.

According to research by the World Food Programme, approximately one in three Ukrainians faces food insecurity, with the situation being worse in the south and east of the country due to sustained attacks. Half of the people remaining in these areas are food insecure, and those who have been displaced face an elevated risk of hunger as well. Efforts like the one organized by Tetiana and her fellow lyceum teachers are lifelines that bring food to where it is most urgently needed. 

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today! 

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: Denise Capelli, Community Development 2015-2017

Ukrainian Partner: Maryana,  Carpathian National Nature Park (CNNP) recreation department worker & nonprofit leader

Region: Ivano-Frankviska Oblast

Denise and her counterpart Maryana completed two successful SPA (Small Project Assistance) grant projects in the Ivano-Frankvisk region during her Peace Corps service between 2015 and 2017. When the Alliance for Ukraine announced its Peremoha mini-grants program shortly after the full-scale invasion by Russia started in 2022, Denise and Maryana knew they wanted to reunite and put their skills to work again to support their community. There was an urgent need for a new high-functioning stove to support 8,963 internally displaced people (IDPs) from the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Kherson regions. Many people fled to the Carpathian Mountains to find refuge in Maryana's small mountain city of approximately 8,044 citizens - doubling its population overnight and adding an incredible amount of stress to the population.

Photo of Denise and her counterpart during her service

Some IDPs that fled to the town were using their own savings to rent accommodations on their own, but were running out of money, and needed support from the town council. The remaining IDPs had been taking refuge in the town’s schoolhouse and were using the stove in the small camp-- an old school kitchen. Using the school to house and feed people was a viable solution over summer break, but in September, 700 kids needed to return to their studies, and the IDPs were going to be moved to the town’s wellness center, which had no cooking source. The updated stove was needed to provide hot meals to all IDPS and the displaced children that would be attending school. The stove would be the primary cooking source for the remainder of their stay. 

The stove that will help thousands of people

With hard work, and the Peremoha mini-grants program, Denise and Maryana were able to partner with NGO Promo Carpathians to buy the stove and new pots, pans, and utensils for everyone to use. This gesture eased the financial and emotional stress of many people. The IDPs will most likely remain in the town long after the war is over, because their own towns will need time to rebuild. However, when life returns to normal, the stove will remain as a source of comfort and will continue to provide warm meals to Kindergarten school children for years to come. Denise and Maryana are grateful they could do their part to support people impacted by the war, and are thankful to the Alliance for the opportunity!

The pots and pans bought through the grant

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today!  

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: Abigail Nutsubidze, MSW, LICSW, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Peace Corps Response, 2010-2014

Ukrainian Partner: Lidia, Co-Director of “Nadezhda” Children’s Social Rehabilitation Center (Nadia Center)

Region: Poltavs'ka Oblast

During Abigail’s service in Ukraine, she became involved in a partnership with Nadia Center, an orphanage for children who were unable to be reunified with their birth families. Approximately 20-30 children lived at Nadia Center at any given time and the organization provided trauma-informed care to promote holistic rehabilitation. The goal was for the children to either be adopted or successfully transitioned into the community as adults. Together, Abby and the orphanage leadership completed grant projects to obtain clean drinking water, summer camp programming, weekly programming involving community youth volunteers, and events to support and foster sustainable development of the organization. Abigail and Nadia Center remained in contact even after she completed her service in Ukraine.

As the full-scale invasion started in Ukraine in early 2022, Lidia and the children from Nadia Center were able to safely evacuate the country. The children remain safe and cared for abroad. Nadia Center’s facility has since been repurposed to host internally displaced people (IDPs) from eastern Ukraine, and remaining staff members ensure the organization can serve as a resource center for refugees as they flee to safety. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, more than 3,000 people have sought refuge there and/or received food, clothing, supplies, and other support from Nadia Center.

Currently, 32 IDPs, including 9 children and 10 elders from Ukraine’s combat zone, are sheltered at Nadia Center. All of them suffered great losses from the war, hid in basements and bunkers for months, fled from the front lines under shelling, and lost their homes. They have been given food, clothing, medicine, hygiene products, access to education, and transportation. The center is also holding regular support groups for displaced children, children at risk for abuse and neglect, and children from foster families. 10-20 children attend, and the programming helps build comradery, reduces stress, and provides social and psychological rehabilitation.

War times have been hard with limits to the supply chain, bomb sirens/threats, and infrequent electricity. While providing aid to this new demographic, the organization goes through resources quickly. During Ukraine’s freezing winter, the center is heated with wood burning boilers. Through the Peremoha Mini Grant Program, the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine awarded Abigail and Lidia $1,500 to purchase firewood to heat Nadia Center for the winter of 2022-2023. The cost of firewood including delivery was $1,300 and the final $200 was used to pay the laborers who cut, chopped, and stacked the wood, and to buy gasoline to power the chainsaw. This firewood will keep the Nadia Center's residents and staff warm and cozy through the winter season.
 

For the IDPs sheltered at Nadia Center, this facility is “both a temporary home and a place to recover and rehabilitate. We make an effort to offer a broad range of assistance to refugees as they make their way through [our town] and migrate to safer places. Therefore, comfortable conditions in the premises of the Children's Center are very important to serving this population. Thank you!”-- Lidia

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today!  

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: Becky Bosshart, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2012-2014

Ukrainian Partner: Kateryna (Катерина), English Professor and owner of CLA Language School

Region: Chernivtsi, Chernivetska Oblast

Becky worked with her friend Kateryna to help provide a reliable power supply and internet to a school in downtown Chernivtsi used as a shelter for internally displaced people. This power supply is used to keep her power, heat, and internet on during rolling blackouts caused by Russia’s continuous attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, depriving basic human needs from civilians including displaced people far from combat zones. Chernivtsi is the oblast capital in the western region of Chernivetska and it is on a schedule of sharing power in order to supply areas who have totally lost power because of Russian shelling and missile attacks. Kateryna has been able to offer her school as a center for displaced people and as a Community Power Hub for those who need a warm place to access the internet and charge up their devices to stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues (it is a shared work space). She used the grant money to purchase a power inverter, two accumulators (a battery that can hold energy for about eight hours of power), a charger for the accumulators, three power banks, one power stabilizer, a portable Wi-Fi router, and antennae for the router so that visitors and students of the CLA Language School can continue to work, stay warm, and connect with friends and family during the rolling blackouts caused by Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s power grid and regional power sharing.

Since the beginning of the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian War, Kateryna has used space in her school to create a shelter for displaced people arriving from Chernihiv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Mariupol, and Dnipro. She has hosted 120 people since February 24, 2022 and she has even kept track of the people she has been helping. Her breakdown includes: relocated business leaders from eastern Ukraine (15%), volunteers assisting displaced people (25%), displaced students who don't have light and heat from eastern Ukraine but who need to continue distance learning (30%), and displaced teachers of English who live in refugee camps in school gyms (30%). 

Kateryna and her volunteer community have helped adults who have been forced to move to Chernivtsi to write their CVs and cover letters to start working for international companies remotely. They have helped business leaders relocate west and move online to contribute to the global economy. They have also employed relocated professionals in setting up this project and helped improve their linguistic skills. Kate has found “business leaders are eager to raise their awareness of setting up international marketing campaigns, networking with business leaders worldwide, and get acquainted with the needs of American customers.” This project has already assisted several professional people who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, a group at elevated risk during this conflict, and has fostered a community of volunteers to promote self-determination: connecting Ukraine globally while also providing immediate emergency needs.

Kateryna and Becky are also seeking other grant funds so that the Chernivtsi school can teach displaced children with special educational needs who cannot currently be helped in the oblast educational system. If you are interested in following their story, their twitter handles are: @cla.english, @united.for.ua

Peremoha is the Ukrainian word for Victory.

The Peremoha Mini-Grants program was launched in the summer of 2022 in response to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers could apply together with a Ukrainian partner they had worked with in some way during their service. Funding priorities for the program included humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities, and projects in alignment with sectors previously implemented by Peace Corps Ukraine: community development, youth development, education, and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. We are proud to share with you the stories of the Alliance's Peremoha grantees.

RPCV: P Jay Werner Peterson, Community Development 2005-2007

Ukrainian Partner: Dr. Ira Roshkovych, Vice Director at Regional Center of Complex Rehabilitation for Persons with Disabilities and volunteer Vice Director of Path of Life and Head, Early Childhood Intervention Department

Region: Uzhhorod, Zakarpatska Oblast

P Jay, known as Gaia in Ukraine, worked at the ‘Path to Life Social and Medical Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children’ during her time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2005-2007. During that time, this center provided a wide range of services to children with disabilities and their parents. Gaia worked with them as a management consultant and fundraiser for the organization. She partnered with Dr. Ira, an expert in early childhood development and a brilliant linguist, fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, Hungarian, and English. Gaia has returned to Uzhhorod several times over the years, including for the Center’s 20th Anniversary in 2019.

When the war began, Path to Life set up a hub for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with children by converting 10 rooms (including classrooms and administration space) to accommodate up to 50 people. In addition to providing housing, the Center opened their doors to any IDP children in town who required the services of the Center's specialists during the day. This gives the children’s parents the opportunity to relax a little psychologically and look for employment while helping their children.

Dr. Ira working with 4 of the children at the center

Their efforts to support homeless Ukrainians fleeing from the war have created additional staff needs, increased utility bills, and the need to purchase a larger refrigerator for the new temporary residents. Because the costs of housing internally displaced children/persons with disabilities are not reimbursed in Ukraine, no funding is provided to the charitable organizations such as the Path to Life Center. The Center is forced to attract extra-budgetary funds from various donor international organizations to pay staff salaries and utilities services.

One of the rooms created to house IDPs

During the project implementation period, as of October 19, 2022, 25 children/persons with disabilities were living in the Center and 6 children were attending the "Day Care" service. Thanks to the funds of the Peremoha Grant, the living conditions of the displaced persons were improved, the electricity stayed on throughout the winter, the staff members working overtime to care for the IDPs were paid, and a large refrigerator to account for more people was purchased.

As of May 19, 2023, 22 IDPs live in the center and 8 IDP children with disabilities attend the Center's Day Care service on a daily basis.

The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine is able to make grants thanks to proceeds raised by sales of the Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook and your additional donations. Please give today!