Ukrainian NGO Come Back Alive leads life-saving fundraiser to demine Ukraine

A new campaign called "We will live here" urges to donate to demining efforts in Ukraine. 

The goal is to raise 175,000,000 hryvnias ($4,7 million) to provide transport and demining equipment to 146 Ukrainian engineering and sapper groups, Rubryka reports.

What is the problem?

Ukraine is the most mined country in the world, ahead of Syria and Afghanistan. According to the data from Ukraine's State Emergency Service, about 30% of Ukrainian territory is contaminated with mines and unexploded ammunition.

"During one shift, a deminer defuses dozens of explosive objects," says Yulia "Romashka," one of the deminers in Ukraine's armed forces. "With this load, we need equipment for fast and high-quality demining. I thank everyone who'll join the campaign."

What is the solution?

One of Ukraine's largest mobile operators, Kyivstar, and NGO Come Back Alive initiate a fundraiser to use the money to purchase transport and necessary equipment. Within the fundraiser, you can sign up for a monthly donation or make a contribution on the initiative's website.

How does it work?

"Ukrainian deminers are the first to enter de-occupied cities and villages, preparing the territories for critical infrastructure restoration, in particular, enabling Kyivstar specialists to restore mobile communications," says Kyivstar President Oleksandr Komarov. "Helping to demine Ukraine is an important mission for our company. Kyivstar donates 20,000,000 hryvnias to the fundraising campaign and calls Ukrainians and Ukrainian businesses to support the initiative. Everyone can contribute to the project's website." 

"Nearly a third of our territory and all coastal waters need demining,"  says Come Back Alive Fund Director Taras Chmut. "Countries worldwide have been dealing with similar tasks for decades, so it's important to act as soon as possible."

"The Ukrainian deminers work both in de-occupied territories and war zones, clearing our land of Russian mines and missile debris on a huge scale. Our task is to provide them with tools so that they can do it faster, more efficiently, and more safely," says Chmut.

The Come Back Alive Director says new pickups they'll purchase will ensure the mobility of sapper groups. The campaign will provide them with the group and individual deminer's bags, metal detectors, probes, means of communication, copters, and tablets for aerial photography, recording minefields, and determining the coordinates of dangerous objects. "We have agreed on the entire list with the Support Forces Command and the military," he added.