Solutions to win: disabled volunteer raises ₴8 mln to support Ukrainian army

In Uzhhorod, a 76-year-old volunteer, Hryhoriy Yanchenko, who uses a wheelchair, is collecting money to support Ukrainian defenders. In the past five months, he has traveled to over ten cities in Ukraine for this purpose.

Suspilne writes about this.

What is the solution?

Hryhoriy Yanchenko has been volunteering for ten years and has managed to raise around 8 million hryvnias (over 200,000 USD)  for the Ukrainian military during that time.

" My volunteering journey started in 2014. On March 29, we went to our military at the border. It was then that we truly understood the importance of volunteering, what items needed to be transported, for what and why," Hryhoriy Yanchenko says.

Hryhoriy Yanchenko's wife, Tamara, proposed the idea of raising funds for defenders.

^{Photo: Oksana Ushakova}

"She was the inspiration for it; something needs to be done. She said: 'You just drive around town without any purpose; you can put a bucket, write "Help the Armed Forces" on it, drive around, and collect funds." I took her idea and began driving to the east with other volunteers. I realized that I couldn't have made it happen on my own. I could have gathered enough money to purchase everything, but transporting it all would have been challenging," the volunteer adds.

How does it work?

Soldier Oleh Kuts, who was injured in the Zaporizhzhia region and is currently recovering in Uzhhorod, was gifted a talisman from Hryhoriy Yanchenko. The volunteer mentions that the talismans are blessed and protect the soldiers.

"Thank you to the people who help us. In general, they help the state, not only us. We are only part of it. They do not forget that there is a war; it has become part of everyday life. It has remained one of life's aspects," Oleh Kuts says.

Since 2014, Hryhoriy Yanchenko has been collecting money for the needs of the military in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Over the past five months, he's gathered money in various Ukraine cities. He says he's visited over ten cities.

"I have never been to Uzhhorod, but I decided to come at this time so that the people of Uzhhorod could somehow invest their money and donate to help our military, who are fighting at the front and protecting us," Hryhoriy Yanchenko said.

Volunteer Hryhoriy Yanchenko will spend a week in Uzhhorod collecting money for Ukraine's armed forces, then go to Mukachevo and Chernivtsi.

"I have one dream: just to travel all over Ukraine and make up for what I could not get in my lifetime. These are the Carpathians, Transcarpathia. My dream is to visit, but not like what I am doing now, but just to travel, relax, and take in all the sights," the volunteer added, talking about his dream after the victory.

For reference:

Rubryka reported that a blind schoolgirl from the Lviv region collected ₴2 million for Ukraine's armed forces by singing in churches and on the street. The girl started volunteering at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation when her older brother went to defend Ukraine.

Later, in the United States, Ukrainian singer Dzidzio and a blind volunteer from the Lviv region performed charity concerts. The venues were packed with attendees, including members of the Ukrainian diaspora, Americans who passionately back Ukraine, and Ukrainian veteran soldiers receiving rehabilitation in the US.