Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine changed the lives of young Ukrainians. It also put spotlight on youth leaders. They pave the way for the community. Their goals and dreams bring the victory day closer. Young women and men of Merefyanska hromada are just like that. The community is located 20 kilometers outside of Kharkiv. Despite a standing threat of missile strikes, the young people and local government created a humanitarian aid center that supplies Merefyanska hromada, and sends aid to Kharkiv and rayons of the region. Twenty-five-year-old Daria Fursova heads the humanitarian hub.
“Hromada is proud of responsible and active youth!”
Merefa is Daria’s native town. Six months ago she used to work in the international and investment department of the Merefa city council. She was deputy head of the hromada’s youth council. Before the full-scale war began, Daria used to be a journalist. On the morning of February 24, her life changed. In the early days of war as residents of the hromada began to leave, she made a decision to stay. She felt she was needed there, Daria said. She is conscious of threats posed by Russia’s missile strikes.
“In the hromada, we saw the ‘Russian world’ with our own eyes. In Yakovlivka village, a school, a community house, and private houses are completely destroyed. Russia would say these are military sites. The hromada has never had one. In a bid to intimidate Ukrainians, Russia purposefully eliminates civilians,” Daria said.
Merefa is supplied with water and gas, but there are power shortages. Some shops are open, yet many owners are afraid to open their shops and pharmacies. In the first week of the full-scale war, hromada’s residents began to panic buying medicine, food, and hygiene items. Kharkivites fleeing war poured into the hromada. They needed help.
“The hromada has hosted more than three thousand refugees from Kharkiv, Kharkiv region, and other regions of Ukraine. We, as the local government must provide basic conditions for the people who fled the war, so that they can survive. I am proud of responsible and active youth of our community that helps us with that since early days of war,” secretary of Merefyanska city council Tetyana Dyadchenko said.
Pre-war, young women and men worked in community development. They were active members of the youth council. As the war began, they engaged in humanitarian assistance. They began to look for partnerships to maximize the efforts. They appealed to MP Dmytro Mykysha after he called for cooperation on social media.
“Young people from my hometown Merefa called me. They were looking for humanitarian supplies. They said they were eager to cooperate,” Dmytro Mykysha said. “As our joint work intensified, we created the humanitarian hub ‘MARI’ as a unit of the NGO Agency for Development and Investment. As the government does not have enough resources to address all needs of people who fled the war, young people step in. They take the initiative to help the community, plan and organize that. They already plan how to rebuild Ukraine. They are an example to us all. They are our future. They build a foundation for Ukraine,” the MP Dmytro Mykysha proceeds.
“Fiercely enthusiastic” young people
Members of the youth council of Merefyanska hromada Kateryna Lisnyak and Andriy Harnyi work in the humanitarian hub with Daria Fursova. A team of 15 young people ages 18 to 30 receives and unloads humanitarian aid. They collect the needs and send humanitarian aid to most vulnerable communities. They have sent more than 100 tons of humanitarian supplies since the invasion.
“MP Dmytro Mykysha contacts charities for humanitarian supplies. We receive them at the humanitarian center and send it to the communities. Caritas Ukraine charitable fund became our first partner. In the first week alone, we sent 370 food packages to faraway areas of Merefyanska hromada,” Daria Fursova said.
We cooperate with East Europe Foundation, Phoenix charity, NGO Druh based in Rivne, Daria said. Hromadas in western Ukraine constantly helps us.
In the beginning, the center would send humanitarian supplies only to Merefyanska hromada. It now supports Kharkivskyi, Chuhuyivskyi, Lozivskyi, Bohodukhivskyi, Izyumskyi rayons of the region, and Kharkiv.
Team members of the humanitarian hub worked in local self-government. They are trained in civic engagement, Daria Fursova said. “Our young people are ‘fiercely enthusiastic’. We can unload 20 tons of humanitarian aid in a few hours, and no one complains. We form consignments for the communities in need. Our volunteers collect their needs by phone. We understand that we work in dangerous conditions. But we are not going to leave, our community needs us,” Daria said.
Russia’s war changed the perception. People cut contacts with friends and family. “They deserve no forgiveness, just hatred. We saw Mala Rohan as it was retaken from [Russian] occupiers. Their methods are the same everywhere: in Irpin, Bucha, Borodyanka, Chernihiv, Mala Rohan. They rape women, kill civilians, destroy houses and infrastructure. We talked to World War II survivors who fought alongside Russians. They are startled at the attacks. Residents of Kharkiv region support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and await the victory. We will not give up the region,” Daria Fursova said.
Ukraine is a European country that has big opportunities, Daria said. Ukrainians are grateful to the whole world for help and support. Daria’s dream is that Ukraine’s defenders come back home as soon as Ukraine wins. Working in the humanitarian hub, Daria and her team of volunteers bring this moment closer.
Author: Oksana Yakunina