Skip to Main Content

Peremoha

  • Sarah Friedman posted an article
    This grant provided food to people living with disabilities in Lviv. Many of the people are IDPs. see more

     RPCV: Christina Taylor, Youth Development, 2017-2020

    Ukrainian Partner: Natalia, Head of PR and Fundraising Department

    Region: Lviv Oblast


    lviv ukraine mapWith 10 years of war and the ongoing violence of the full-scale invasion that started February 24, 2022, Russia has caused a massive humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. About 30% of Ukrainians have been internally displaced.[1] Lviv region alone has welcomed about 400,000 people, 20,000 of whom are impaired or developed a disability as a result of the hostilities. The internally displaced are settling down in dorms, schools, and other government facilities reequipped to host refugees.

    To cater to the basic needs of people with disabilities, Dzherelo Centre, a charity institution in Lviv, launched a comprehensive emergency response program. In the framework of this program, families with children living with disabilities can receive crisis services of social workers, specialized consultations of specialists, aid according to the identified acute needs of the child (e.g. hearing aids, wheelchairs, etc.), and humanitarian aid.

    Ukraine RPCV Christina Taylor and her counterpart Natalia used Peremoha grant funding to provide humanitarian aid. Their project provided food items to 100 families of children with disabilities. Workers and staff of Dzherelo packed the food kits themselves after purchasing the groceries. Packaging materials were generously donated to the center by another benefactor.

    One food kit included:

    ·       Tea—1 pack

    ·       Sugar—1 kg

    ·       Instant oatmeal—5 packs (5 portions)

    ·       Cereal bar—1 pcs

    ·       Breakfast cereals—2 packs

    ·       Canned goulash—1 can

    ·       Canned salmon with paprika—1 can

    ·       Cookies—2 packs

    ·       Halva with vanilla—1 pack

    ·       Crispbreads—1 pack

    ·       Instant noodles—1 pack

    ·       Chocolate spread—1 can

    ·       Instant coffee—1 pack

    ·       Children’s cocoa drink—1 pack

    These packages helped families ease the financial burden of meeting their basic needs, since many have lost their main source of income. Dzherelo's psychologists are helping the families address their stress and trauma, while the center provides much needed social services for children with disabilities. These services will help sustain these families while they settle down in their new place of residence.

     


    [1] https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/ukraine/#:~:text=One%20third%20of%20Ukraine's%20total,inside%20Ukraine%20with%20humanitarian%20assistance.

     February 14, 2024
  • Sarah Friedman posted an article
    We worked together to purchase the town's only AED in case of a medical emergency see more

    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 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: Cassandra Pali, Community Development, 2010-2012

    Ukrainian Partner: Juliy, Director of Projects at a nonprofit organization

    Region: Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

     

    With the outbreak of full-scale war in 2022, a small community organization serving the local youth in a centrally located city of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast rapidly expanded to serve all of its community members and numerous internally displaced people. It became a pass-through center for people of all ages who were experiencing extreme stress and disruptions to their usual healthcare access as they journeyed westward toward safer parts of the country.  While the organization worked to accommodate this growing need,  it became immediately clear that they did not have the resources to help in case of cardiac arrest—there was not a single defibrillator in any public space in the entire city.

     

    man in ukraine holding an aed received from peremoha grant

     

    Cassandra, RPCV 2010-2012, and her Ukrainian colleague Juliy used Peremoha mini-grant funds to purchase a defibrillator for the organization. A first aid instructor from the Red Cross Society of Ukraine trained nine key staff members on how to use the equipment. People across the city are now aware of where they may access a defibrillator if the need arises. Cassandra calls it a "life-saving upgrade". 

     

    A woman from teh red cross is training people in Ukraine to use an AED.

     

    In the past, Cassandra also raised funds to help purchase and install a professional water purification system for the drinking water at the community organization, benefiting the entire local community.

     


     

     Through the purchase of Babusya's Kitchen cookbook and your generous donations, you enable us to continue to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and fund projects like this one to help protect Ukraine’s future.

     December 08, 2023
  • Sarah Friedman posted an article
    Claire helped turn the basement of her school to a shelter with a stove, sleeping bags, projector see more

    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 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: Claire St. Amant, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2008-2009

    Ukrainian Partner: Oksana, School Headmaster

    Region: Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

     

    As of November 2023, there are nearly 3.7 million internally displaced people in Ukraine (UNHCR Flash Update). Many of these people have children who require schooling, which means that schools across Ukraine need to provide for potentially hundreds of new students. 

    Claire served in a small town of about 9,000 people in western Ukraine, which took in a number of displaced people fleeing the war. There is only one school in the town. It provides education for kindergarten through high school. With a staff of 100 people, the school is one of the primary employers in the town with strong ties throughout the community. The school has about 900 students, which means 11% of the town's population uses the school for education or for their work.


    A festive day at Claire's school.

     

    Children and teachers are continuing to work and learn in very difficult conditions. They frequently lose power and have limited access to reliable heating. During air raids, children need to stay in the basement for their own safety. Attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine are again increasing - the UNHCR's latest Ukraine Situation Update notes an increasing number of attacks on both civilian areas and energy sector facilities as we head into winter. In fact, on November 2nd, 2023, Russian forces conducted more than 118 bombardments in Ukrainian towns and villages over 24 hours - the highest daily number of attacks in the year thus far - with both frontline and non-frontline areas affected (UNHCR Flash Update).

    Given the risk of attack, the town’s children often spend hours at a time in the school basement. Therefore, it is necessary to provide them and their teachers with a way to cook food, a projector to enhance education, and medical supplies in case there is a medical emergency while underground. Claire and the headmaster of her school, Oksana, used Peremoha grant funds to help the school create a better learning environment for students while they continue to learn in the school’s basement. These supplies are important in case of blackouts; people will have a warm place to sleep and are able to cook food when they need to stay underground for hours on end.

    • $590 in grant funds were used to purchase a projector. Students can now watch various educational video programs and even cartoons while they sit in the shelter for hours on end.

    • $275 was spent on medical devices for the shelter. These are important in case of  illness or accidents. These medical devices include different types of bandages, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, etc.

    • $615 was spent on 5 sleeping bags, 10 seat caremats (mats to ease foot and leg pain when standing for long periods of time– often used while cooking), and a portable gas stove for making food in the shelter.
       

    Pictured: First aid supplies and portable light

     

    Pictured: Projector, sleeping bags, caremats, gas stove with fuel
     

       
    Claire is currently working on a new fundraiser with Ukrainian Action to purchase laptops and printers for her school. The campaign will run December 1st -31st, 2023, to raise $3,000. Click here to read more about her campaign.

     

    Photo taken during Claire's service. Note the message written in English on the blackboard: "Claire! Thank you very much!"

     

    If you are interested in doing a partnered campaign with Ukrainian Action, you can find instructions in the third content block of our May 2023 Alliance newsletter.

    Through the purchase of  Babusya's Kitchen cookbook and your generous donations, you enable us to continue to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and fund projects like this one to help protect Ukraine’s future.

     

     

     November 17, 2023
  • Sarah Friedman posted an article
    Heat and power for a school shelter see more

    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:

     


    [2] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66668091


    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 

     September 14, 2023
  • Sarah Friedman posted an article
    Heat and power for university that takes in IDPs and local residents see more

    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 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: Kirsten Dyck, Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 2017-2019

    Ukrainian Partner: Iryna, volunteer group organizer

    Region: Poltava Oblast

     

    Ukrainian winters get as cold as -4 degrees Fahrenheit. Russia has attacked Ukraine’s power grid repeatedly since February 2022, violating international laws of war and leaving thousands of Ukrainian civilians vulnerable to extreme winter temperatures[1]. Unreliable heat and power force many Ukrainian civilians to seek aid to stay warm.

    Among the most vulnerable are Ukraine’s internally displaced people (IDPs). As of May 2023, 5.1 million Ukrainian IDPs– over 11% of Ukraine’s pre-war population–had fled war-torn regions and relocated to safer areas of the country[2]. Almost overnight, many Ukrainian schools and universities converted their facilities into temporary housing and bomb shelters for these refugees. Ukraine’s schools and universities have also absorbed teachers and students from conflict zones, sharing their buildings so IDP students can continue to learn.

    RPCV Kirsten Dyck's former site in Poltava region is one such university. It houses many students and teachers from an evacuated university in the Donbas region. The basement serves as a shelter for all of its original students and teachers, as well as students from the evacuated university, a nearby grade school, and locals who live in nearby apartment buildings and work in nearby businesses. This basement, however, lacks central heat. As the cold weather returned in late 2022, the space became increasingly unsuitable for prolonged habitation.

     

    Kirsten and some of her students during her service (2017-2019)

    Dr. Iryna and her community volunteer group worked with Kirsten to receive blankets, candles, space heaters, portable batteries for heating purposes, and a backup generator to help heat the basement. They also received power banks to charge smartphones and other devices, so people can maintain electronic communication during emergencies and power outages. Some funds were used to rent a space for a local youth club and to purchase art supplies for youth after-school activities led by university students.

    Through your generous donations and the purchase of the Babusya’s Kitchen cookbook, we were able to fund this grant and help hundreds of people have a safer winter. Thank you for your support.

     


    [1] https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/12/06/ukraine-russian-attacks-energy-grid-threaten-civilians

    [2]https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/ukraine/#:~:text=There%20are%20nearly%205.1%20million,(as%20of%20May%202023).

     

     October 09, 2023