Charity during quarantine: how foundations live and work
For more than a month now, Ukraine has been in quarantine due to the coronavirus. Such a long and massive quarantine affected everything: many people lost their jobs, and the economic crisis is not far off. Charitable foundations and organizations, too, unfortunately, were hit by the coronavirus. We talked to volunteers and staff from various organizations and talk about how quarantine has affected their work.
Tabletochki Charitable Foundation
Vyacheslav Bykov, Executive Director of Tabletochki Charitable Foundation, tells how quarantine forced everyone to work in turbo mode. Coronavirus is deadly for children with cancer, so the task of the fund in these conditions to protect them from additional threats.
"We have not stopped any of our programs to help children with cancer, while supporting the state in the fight against coronavirus. UAH 1,100,000 - this amount has helped Ukrainian doctors and patients since the beginning of the quarantine. Almost UAH 800,000. of this amount is the cost of protective equipment for physicians in regional children’s oncology departments. Hospitals received: respirators, disposable gloves, gowns, protective suits and goggles, disinfectants. "Okhmatdyt’s laboratory received 100 PCR tests for coronavirus, " says Bykov .
Also, the Tabletochki Charitable Foundation has raised funds from Robert Bosch Ltd to pay for repairs to six Okhmatdyt ventilators. Unfortunately, masks, gloves, antiseptics run out very quickly, and now cost more than usual. Therefore, the Tabletochki Foundation does not stop collecting.
It should be added that as part of the fight against COVID-19, the Tablets Foundation organized a free online training for doctors. At the training, doctors from all over Ukraine learned to communicate effectively with the patient. Namely, they have mastered the skill of persuasion, which they will need right now, during the coronavirus pandemic. For example, banal, "how to persuade a patient to wash their hands or wear a protective mask in public places," - said Bykov .
He adds that currently closed borders and the government’s focus on the coronavirus do not allow not only patients but also drugs to move. Bykov says it has become more difficult to help, so it is more important than ever to rejoice in the victories they achieve. Thanks to their benefactors and volunteers:
• they were able to buy vital medicines in foreign pharmacies;
• they were able to repair 7 ventilators in Okhmatdyt;
• they were able to provide doctors in the wards with means of protection for UAH 1 million;
• they joined the Uber Doctors at Work project;
• they became a partner of Ciklum in projects aimed at helping doctors and our wards during a pandemic.
"There is no less help, although it has become more difficult to get it. Our partners, Ciklum, have allocated UAH 2.5 million to fight coronaviruses and childhood cancer. Every day, 10 new people sign up for regular assistance to the wards of the Tabletochka Foundation, Bykov said . He added that since the quarantine was announced, they have moved to remote work and now meet with colleagues only online, and all issues are resolved by phone.
In order to warm up the fighting spirit of the employees in isolation, a Master Chef competition was organized inside the company. Every day we post photos of our dishes, whoever gets the most likes before the end of the quarantine will receive a book by Jamie Oliver. To entertain the children in isolation, we organized a mini-project on our Instagram called "Fairy Tale with a Star". Famous moms and dads, read fairy tales live, everyone can join. Also, came up with useful entertainment for adults. Isolation prompted us to create a column "Pills for a doctor." Instead of looking for answers on the Internet or on forums, our Facebook subscribers can get them in the online office of a qualified specialist. Every Friday at 18:00 live on our Facebook page doctors answer questions that concern our subscribersin. For example, "Is it possible to get vaccinated during a pandemic?", "How to strengthen the immune system in isolation and resist viruses," - summed up Bykov.
Kateryna Gavrylenko, director of the Pomohaem
Charitable Foundation , says that for more than 10 years their foundation has been providing assistance to seriously ill children under the age of 18 in Dnipro and the region, supporting hospitals, helping foster families and family-type orphanages.
“During this time, we have implemented projects worth over UAH 75 million, and more than 30,000 people have received assistance. There are 10 permanent projects in the fund, about 60 active meetings a month. At the same time, we are very sensitive to what is happening in society. Yes, we promptly joined in to help migrants in 2014, and in March 2020 to support doctors with protective equipment, equip hospitals and provide medicines and products to those who suffer financially from quarantine measures. The most important and regular help of our partners and regular donors is more important than ever. Only in this way will we be able to pass this difficult time for the benefit of our wards. So far, we are seeing a small decrease, " Gavrilenko said .
She added that they also work remotely, learn new programs for online meetings and sometimes come to the office for important things - delivery and delivery of products, hygiene and medicine to foster families, as well as protective equipment for hospitals.
"Thanks" NGO (Odessa)
Anna Zdorovenko, head of "Thank You" NGO, says that now they work remotely, and communicate with volunteers every day, in a working group in Viber.
"Sometimes you have to go to the pharmacy, to the hospital - only because of the importance of the situation. The rest of the wards, who are addressing the meeting, we are in touch in Viber, by phone. We constantly communicate with them to support them morally, because it is twice as difficult for them now, ”says Anna Zdorovenko .
The fund adds that the number of donations to help wards has decreased significantly, people are divided into those who:
- donate to ventilation and protection;
- who lost their job and simply do not have the opportunity to help;
- those who have the opportunity to help, but withhold their finances in case of financial apocalypse;
- and those who remained and continue to help address;
“The fund’s capacity has also been reduced, we cannot hold rallies in public places to attract people’s help, as we did before; we cannot hold charity fairs where donations of pastries and handicrafts are exchanged, as was the case before; our charity program "Threads of Good" is paralyzed, as it involves collecting aid in boxes in crowded places (pharmacies, shops, entertainment centers). The benefit of CITIMED pharmacies is working and it seems to be one of the threads on which this program is still based and collects help for our wards. We have lost the opportunity to turn to companies and enterprises for help, because they are all going through no less difficult period, or their attention is focused on the fight for the health of the country and their families. We cannot leave without the help of those- they say in the fund.
Marina Lysak Charitable Foundation
, co-founder and director of the Everyone Can Foundation, says that their foundation grew on a volunteer initiative in 2014, immediately after the events on the Maidan.
"We decided to deal with the most vulnerable: children with disabilities and the elderly with disabilities who suffered from the war in Ukraine. The foundation takes care of more than 40 families with children with severe disabilities (cerebral palsy, SMA, blind). All these families suffered from the war in Ukraine. Foundation in connection with each family - we know how they live, what successes children have. As part of the project "Expedition to the East" we make guest visits to families. We help children pay for surgery, rehabilitation, medication. We hold big meetings for children, make gifts for birthdays and holidays. Also, under the care of the fund are 34 retired immigrants with disabilities. Most of them are single. We systematically support them with medicines and product certificates. We arrange meetings with a psychologist and interesting events for them. During quarantine, all mass events planned operations and rehabilitation postponed. So now we are focused on helping with medicines and providing food and basic necessities to families in need. "- says Marina Lisak.
She also added that their wards took the situation with the coronavirus very seriously, they all have a disability - so they are at risk. Therefore, during the quarantine of elderly wards, volunteers bring grocery baskets for almost 9 kilograms - cereals, butter, vegetables, fruits and other necessary products.
"During this period, the elderly may need even more medication, because some of them are very nervous, they have panic attacks, exacerbations of disease. So now we are intensively raising funds for medicines for elderly wards. For those who do not live in Kyiv, we send products and medicines to Nova Poshta. Fortunately, we are participants in the Humanitarian Post of Ukraine project from Nova Poshta, so we can send parcels for free - this is incredible support for the fund. During the coronavirus, the third sector increased costs and challenges, as volunteers and philanthropists are now actively supporting hospitals. But we have no right to forget about our wards, whom we help. Fortunately, the number of donations for current projects of our fund has not decreased significantly. We continue to work actively in the fund, but project management for the time of quarantine has completely gone online. We have minimized contacts among the team - so far only volunteers meet during the delivery of products, "- said Marina Lisak.
Oleksiy Sadovnyk
, Chairman of the Board of Dniprovsky Svitoch Charitable Foundation, says that the situation with the coronavirus has caused the fund a lot of inconvenience.
"Difficulties arose in communicating with philanthropists and with the recipients of our assistance - children without parental care. Both are virtually paralyzed through quarantine. Our special events have become impossible: charity dinners, holidays for children in cafes, on a steamboat, in a circus, etc. We use the remaining communication channels - banking, Internet, telephone communication systems. We even came up with a way to help families with children in care - compensation for purchased products by checks from the store. All other issues (accounting, reports, meetings) can be resolved in electronic form ",Says the Gardener .
He added that donations have really decreased during this period - many are not working, busy with their problems, etc.
"We work remotely, all communication with volunteers, employees, wards, colleagues, social workers, only electronically. We recommend philanthropists who want to help us with food and things to use express mail services, ” Sadovnyk concluded . Ukrainian Child Welfare Foundation Tetyana Basyuk, executive director of the Ukrainian Children’s Welfare Foundation, says that the whole team decided to move to remote work at a time when it was a recommendation.
"The topic of security and risk prevention is our specialization. This is what we teach children and adults, education professionals: health is a value, safety is a priority, it is easier to prevent than to overcome the consequences. Therefore, our colleagues and project participants readily and disciplinedly accepted the cancellation of all offline events. Not cancellation, but transfer - because we will definitely continue after quarantine. Of course, we meet with colleagues in Zuma and other programs that allow the team to work productively. As for the beneficiaries, the specifics of most of our meetings with them are such that they cannot be effectively conducted online - live contact of the group is required. And everything, except for live meetings, is in full swing: new materials are being developed, the organization’s strategy is being revised, and online training of specialists is planned. A separate item - the application of our knowledge, skills and abilities, to help people cope with the new reality. After all, a large number of our compatriots were in a very vulnerable position, and the longer the quarantine, the more difficult it will be for everyone. This is a difficult marathon. "- Tatiana Basyuk explains .
She added that today the needs of the pandemic are a priority, and if they do not raise money for it, over time the number of donations may fall. Vadym Hadzhioglov, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Social Projects of the Future, says that at the moment the main part of the fund’s activities is focused on helping to fight coronavirus infection
.
"We spend most of our efforts on raising funds for the purchase of personal protective equipment and equipment for hospitals and other institutions, for which we have opened a special program" STOP.CORONAVIRUS ". But at the same time we do not forget about our leading programs to help children with cancer, children with cerebral palsy, butterfly children and others. And we provide assistance as resources. Unfortunately, the number and amount of donations decreased by 50%. This, in turn, affects the scale of the assistance we provide for the worse. From the very first day of quarantine, the entire team of the foundation was transferred to remote work, everyone works from home. Of course, there are inconveniences and difficulties, for example, in document management, but we try to solve these issues in electronic format, as we understand all the responsibilities. Even before quarantine we learned to work with our wards remotely, since the fund operates throughout Ukraine, meetings are often simply unrealistic. The wards receive all the help in the form of parcels, and work with partners and contractors is carried out online, "- says Vadim Hadzhioglov.
Flowers of Life
Charitable Foundation Natalia Ivashura, head of the Flowers of Life Charitable Foundation, noted that they do not have outside support in quarantine.
"In order to maintain the opportunity to return to full-fledged work after the end of quarantine, we have changed our location with more favorable rent terms and with the support of the party that accepted us. Now all our volunteers and project participants are at home. We provide online support to those families of children with autism who have already been our wards, and all comers. During the quarantine period, families with children and adolescents with autism have the opportunity to receive consultations from our specialists: psychologist, behavioral therapist and speech therapist, online, twice a week are so-called home streams for parents, "said Natalia Ivashura.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Read also: Life. Next will be: The right heart rhythm
Tabletochki Charitable Foundation
Vyacheslav Bykov, Executive Director of Tabletochki Charitable Foundation, tells how quarantine forced everyone to work in turbo mode. Coronavirus is deadly for children with cancer, so the task of the fund in these conditions to protect them from additional threats. "We have not stopped any of our programs to help children with cancer, while supporting the state in the fight against coronavirus. UAH 1,100,000 - this amount has helped Ukrainian doctors and patients since the beginning of the quarantine. Almost UAH 800,000. of this amount is the cost of protective equipment for physicians in regional children’s oncology departments. Hospitals received: respirators, disposable gloves, gowns, protective suits and goggles, disinfectants. "Okhmatdyt’s laboratory received 100 PCR tests for coronavirus, " says Bykov .
Also, the Tabletochki Charitable Foundation has raised funds from Robert Bosch Ltd to pay for repairs to six Okhmatdyt ventilators. Unfortunately, masks, gloves, antiseptics run out very quickly, and now cost more than usual. Therefore, the Tabletochki Foundation does not stop collecting.
It should be added that as part of the fight against COVID-19, the Tablets Foundation organized a free online training for doctors. At the training, doctors from all over Ukraine learned to communicate effectively with the patient. Namely, they have mastered the skill of persuasion, which they will need right now, during the coronavirus pandemic. For example, banal, "how to persuade a patient to wash their hands or wear a protective mask in public places," - said Bykov .
He adds that currently closed borders and the government’s focus on the coronavirus do not allow not only patients but also drugs to move. Bykov says it has become more difficult to help, so it is more important than ever to rejoice in the victories they achieve. Thanks to their benefactors and volunteers:
• they were able to buy vital medicines in foreign pharmacies;
• they were able to repair 7 ventilators in Okhmatdyt;
• they were able to provide doctors in the wards with means of protection for UAH 1 million;
• they joined the Uber Doctors at Work project;
• they became a partner of Ciklum in projects aimed at helping doctors and our wards during a pandemic.
"There is no less help, although it has become more difficult to get it. Our partners, Ciklum, have allocated UAH 2.5 million to fight coronaviruses and childhood cancer. Every day, 10 new people sign up for regular assistance to the wards of the Tabletochka Foundation, Bykov said . He added that since the quarantine was announced, they have moved to remote work and now meet with colleagues only online, and all issues are resolved by phone.
In order to warm up the fighting spirit of the employees in isolation, a Master Chef competition was organized inside the company. Every day we post photos of our dishes, whoever gets the most likes before the end of the quarantine will receive a book by Jamie Oliver. To entertain the children in isolation, we organized a mini-project on our Instagram called "Fairy Tale with a Star". Famous moms and dads, read fairy tales live, everyone can join. Also, came up with useful entertainment for adults. Isolation prompted us to create a column "Pills for a doctor." Instead of looking for answers on the Internet or on forums, our Facebook subscribers can get them in the online office of a qualified specialist. Every Friday at 18:00 live on our Facebook page doctors answer questions that concern our subscribersin. For example, "Is it possible to get vaccinated during a pandemic?", "How to strengthen the immune system in isolation and resist viruses," - summed up Bykov.
Kateryna Gavrylenko, director of the Pomohaem
Charitable Foundation , says that for more than 10 years their foundation has been providing assistance to seriously ill children under the age of 18 in Dnipro and the region, supporting hospitals, helping foster families and family-type orphanages. “During this time, we have implemented projects worth over UAH 75 million, and more than 30,000 people have received assistance. There are 10 permanent projects in the fund, about 60 active meetings a month. At the same time, we are very sensitive to what is happening in society. Yes, we promptly joined in to help migrants in 2014, and in March 2020 to support doctors with protective equipment, equip hospitals and provide medicines and products to those who suffer financially from quarantine measures. The most important and regular help of our partners and regular donors is more important than ever. Only in this way will we be able to pass this difficult time for the benefit of our wards. So far, we are seeing a small decrease, " Gavrilenko said .
She added that they also work remotely, learn new programs for online meetings and sometimes come to the office for important things - delivery and delivery of products, hygiene and medicine to foster families, as well as protective equipment for hospitals.
"Thanks" NGO (Odessa)
Anna Zdorovenko, head of "Thank You" NGO, says that now they work remotely, and communicate with volunteers every day, in a working group in Viber. "Sometimes you have to go to the pharmacy, to the hospital - only because of the importance of the situation. The rest of the wards, who are addressing the meeting, we are in touch in Viber, by phone. We constantly communicate with them to support them morally, because it is twice as difficult for them now, ”says Anna Zdorovenko .
The fund adds that the number of donations to help wards has decreased significantly, people are divided into those who:
- donate to ventilation and protection;
- who lost their job and simply do not have the opportunity to help;
- those who have the opportunity to help, but withhold their finances in case of financial apocalypse;
- and those who remained and continue to help address;
“The fund’s capacity has also been reduced, we cannot hold rallies in public places to attract people’s help, as we did before; we cannot hold charity fairs where donations of pastries and handicrafts are exchanged, as was the case before; our charity program "Threads of Good" is paralyzed, as it involves collecting aid in boxes in crowded places (pharmacies, shops, entertainment centers). The benefit of CITIMED pharmacies is working and it seems to be one of the threads on which this program is still based and collects help for our wards. We have lost the opportunity to turn to companies and enterprises for help, because they are all going through no less difficult period, or their attention is focused on the fight for the health of the country and their families. We cannot leave without the help of those- they say in the fund.
Marina Lysak Charitable Foundation
, co-founder and director of the Everyone Can Foundation, says that their foundation grew on a volunteer initiative in 2014, immediately after the events on the Maidan. "We decided to deal with the most vulnerable: children with disabilities and the elderly with disabilities who suffered from the war in Ukraine. The foundation takes care of more than 40 families with children with severe disabilities (cerebral palsy, SMA, blind). All these families suffered from the war in Ukraine. Foundation in connection with each family - we know how they live, what successes children have. As part of the project "Expedition to the East" we make guest visits to families. We help children pay for surgery, rehabilitation, medication. We hold big meetings for children, make gifts for birthdays and holidays. Also, under the care of the fund are 34 retired immigrants with disabilities. Most of them are single. We systematically support them with medicines and product certificates. We arrange meetings with a psychologist and interesting events for them. During quarantine, all mass events planned operations and rehabilitation postponed. So now we are focused on helping with medicines and providing food and basic necessities to families in need. "- says Marina Lisak.
She also added that their wards took the situation with the coronavirus very seriously, they all have a disability - so they are at risk. Therefore, during the quarantine of elderly wards, volunteers bring grocery baskets for almost 9 kilograms - cereals, butter, vegetables, fruits and other necessary products.
"During this period, the elderly may need even more medication, because some of them are very nervous, they have panic attacks, exacerbations of disease. So now we are intensively raising funds for medicines for elderly wards. For those who do not live in Kyiv, we send products and medicines to Nova Poshta. Fortunately, we are participants in the Humanitarian Post of Ukraine project from Nova Poshta, so we can send parcels for free - this is incredible support for the fund. During the coronavirus, the third sector increased costs and challenges, as volunteers and philanthropists are now actively supporting hospitals. But we have no right to forget about our wards, whom we help. Fortunately, the number of donations for current projects of our fund has not decreased significantly. We continue to work actively in the fund, but project management for the time of quarantine has completely gone online. We have minimized contacts among the team - so far only volunteers meet during the delivery of products, "- said Marina Lisak.
Oleksiy Sadovnyk
, Chairman of the Board of Dniprovsky Svitoch Charitable Foundation, says that the situation with the coronavirus has caused the fund a lot of inconvenience. "Difficulties arose in communicating with philanthropists and with the recipients of our assistance - children without parental care. Both are virtually paralyzed through quarantine. Our special events have become impossible: charity dinners, holidays for children in cafes, on a steamboat, in a circus, etc. We use the remaining communication channels - banking, Internet, telephone communication systems. We even came up with a way to help families with children in care - compensation for purchased products by checks from the store. All other issues (accounting, reports, meetings) can be resolved in electronic form ",Says the Gardener .
He added that donations have really decreased during this period - many are not working, busy with their problems, etc.
"We work remotely, all communication with volunteers, employees, wards, colleagues, social workers, only electronically. We recommend philanthropists who want to help us with food and things to use express mail services, ” Sadovnyk concluded . Ukrainian Child Welfare Foundation Tetyana Basyuk, executive director of the Ukrainian Children’s Welfare Foundation, says that the whole team decided to move to remote work at a time when it was a recommendation.
"The topic of security and risk prevention is our specialization. This is what we teach children and adults, education professionals: health is a value, safety is a priority, it is easier to prevent than to overcome the consequences. Therefore, our colleagues and project participants readily and disciplinedly accepted the cancellation of all offline events. Not cancellation, but transfer - because we will definitely continue after quarantine. Of course, we meet with colleagues in Zuma and other programs that allow the team to work productively. As for the beneficiaries, the specifics of most of our meetings with them are such that they cannot be effectively conducted online - live contact of the group is required. And everything, except for live meetings, is in full swing: new materials are being developed, the organization’s strategy is being revised, and online training of specialists is planned. A separate item - the application of our knowledge, skills and abilities, to help people cope with the new reality. After all, a large number of our compatriots were in a very vulnerable position, and the longer the quarantine, the more difficult it will be for everyone. This is a difficult marathon. "- Tatiana Basyuk explains .
She added that today the needs of the pandemic are a priority, and if they do not raise money for it, over time the number of donations may fall. Vadym Hadzhioglov, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Social Projects of the Future, says that at the moment the main part of the fund’s activities is focused on helping to fight coronavirus infection
.
"We spend most of our efforts on raising funds for the purchase of personal protective equipment and equipment for hospitals and other institutions, for which we have opened a special program" STOP.CORONAVIRUS ". But at the same time we do not forget about our leading programs to help children with cancer, children with cerebral palsy, butterfly children and others. And we provide assistance as resources. Unfortunately, the number and amount of donations decreased by 50%. This, in turn, affects the scale of the assistance we provide for the worse. From the very first day of quarantine, the entire team of the foundation was transferred to remote work, everyone works from home. Of course, there are inconveniences and difficulties, for example, in document management, but we try to solve these issues in electronic format, as we understand all the responsibilities. Even before quarantine we learned to work with our wards remotely, since the fund operates throughout Ukraine, meetings are often simply unrealistic. The wards receive all the help in the form of parcels, and work with partners and contractors is carried out online, "- says Vadim Hadzhioglov.
Flowers of Life
Charitable Foundation Natalia Ivashura, head of the Flowers of Life Charitable Foundation, noted that they do not have outside support in quarantine. "In order to maintain the opportunity to return to full-fledged work after the end of quarantine, we have changed our location with more favorable rent terms and with the support of the party that accepted us. Now all our volunteers and project participants are at home. We provide online support to those families of children with autism who have already been our wards, and all comers. During the quarantine period, families with children and adolescents with autism have the opportunity to receive consultations from our specialists: psychologist, behavioral therapist and speech therapist, online, twice a week are so-called home streams for parents, "said Natalia Ivashura.
Author Anastasia Ishchenko
Read also: Life. Next will be: The right heart rhythm