Andriy Shevchenko and Liev Schreiber Visit Ukraine
UNITED24 ambassadors met with the President, visited the de-occupied territories of the Kyiv region, and announced the start of the UNITED24 youth program. Its first participants will be the sons of Shevchenko and Schreiber.
On August 15, actor Liev Schreiber and Ukrainian former football player and coach, Andriy Shevchenko, met for the first time in Kyiv. After the UNITED 25 ambassadors got acquainted, they went to the Office of the President of Ukraine; they discussed further plans for attracting additional funds, Independence Day projects, and how to maintain the world's focus after almost six months of full-scale war. Additionally, the ambassadors announced the launch of the UNITED24 youth program, which aims to engage young people worldwide into supporting Ukraine.
"My eldest son, Jordan, cares for Ukraine with all of his heart," Andriy Shevchenko said. "Since the first days of war, he has been asking how he and his friends can help Ukraine. I am glad that he will be one of the first participants in the UNITED24 youth program, which offers young people worldwide different levels of engagement and scenarios of what can be done, from informational support on social media, to global engagement of school and university communities."
During the visit, the UNITED24 ambassadors also went to Makariv and Borodyanka, the suburbs of Kyiv that have suffered the most during the full-scale russian invasion. Shevchenko and Schreiber visited the completely destroyed kindergarten in Makariv, met residents of a modular town in Borodyanka for people who've lost their homes, and made a surprise visit to the local children's football team during the training.
"This is my 3rd time in Ukraine, but the first time in Kyiv since the invasion. I think I knew what to expect in terms of the destruction and pain we would witness on this trip, but the real takeaway for me is the people," says Liev Schreiber. "I really didn't expect to meet so many extraordinary people. People, who despite everything that has happened to them in the past few months seem more determined than ever to rebuild not only their own lives but the the lives and homes of their neighbors as well. People who despite everything that's happened to them still have the time to tell a joke, hand out pickles and fresh jam that they made in their temporary kitchen, 100 meters from what used to be the central street of Borodyanka just 5 months ago. Such strength of spirit and resilience are the special qualities that for me will always be a defining characteristic of the Ukrainian people."
The long day ended with the filming of a UNITED24 video, written by Schreiber himself. The American actor left for Lviv the next morning. Andriy Shevchenko is planning other trips around Ukraine in the upcoming days.
