{"id":230601,"date":"2022-12-07T17:17:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T15:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/vidchuttya-teplyh-ruk"},"modified":"2023-01-02T14:00:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T12:00:45","slug":"vidchuttya-teplyh-ruk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/vidchuttya-teplyh-ruk","title":{"rendered":"The feeling of \u201cWarm hands\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sloviansk, but not that one. That\u2019s what you can say about Nikopol, an industrial center of the Dnipropetrovsk region, located on the banks of the Dnieper. Prince Grigory Potemkin wanted to build a fortress in this place and call it Sloviansk. But it was not destined to happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the same now. Having invaded Ukraine, the insane descendants of the cunning prince dreamed of taking control of this land, too. But they did not take into account the entire history of the city. According to the annals, Bohdan Khmelnytsky arrived here in 1647, fleeing from the persecution of the crown government. Under his leadership, the Cossacks defeated the crown troops\u2019 garrison stationed in Sich. Here, in early February 1648, Khmelnytsky was elected hetman of Ukraine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now Cossack descendants are defending this area from Russian invaders, who have concentrated on the opposite bank of the big river. They defend and know that the truth, strong weapons and a reliable home front are with them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

United by the desire to be useful<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the first days of the war, active people of Nikopol got together to help the front with handmade goods. Hundreds of people united under the symbolic name \u201cWarm hands\u201d, because they literally and figuratively warm our soldiers with knitted socks and mittens, hats and balaclavas, woolen shoe insoles and even hot homemade borscht. During the months of the war, people\u2019s desire to be useful has not faded away. They carefully examined the demand, honed their skills, organized efficient work and learned to trust each other…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anna Klym, a resident of Nikopol, initiated the setting up of a virtual creative workshop. She works as an accountant and admits that since the outbreak of the war, she has had to do a lot of things at her main place of work at night, because helping the military has become an important and essential part of her life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBefore February 24, I was never involved in volunteering. I did not make any balanced decision in this regard. I just saw and understood that something had to be done. We created the \u201cWarm Hands\u201d chat room, and people who were able to help with their skills began joining it. What is special about our community is that we do not collect money but provide an opportunity to help with your work. There are a lot of people who cannot transfer money, but have a great desire to be useful.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Today, when Nikopol has been under daily shelling for the fourth month, it is a little harder to carry out some work – many people have left the city, buildings have been damaged, but still things are moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Features of volunteers\u2019 life<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Clearing up the needs of the military, organizing places to work, places to collect materials, choosing the right patterns, distributing threads or cloth \u2013 these are the basic things to keep things running. The apartment where Anna\u2019s family lives has turned into a production and creative workshop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMom cuts underwear for soldiers, sews bags, I help, knit socks. My 9-year-old daughter is also involved: she rewinds the yarn that we take from woolen clothes. It is hard to live in such a mode, both physically and morally. Sometimes we even allow ourselves to rest, but only in order to get to work with renewed vigor.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone who has joined the chat room is active, but most can be fully counted on: three girls sew bags, about a dozen sew men\u2019s underwear, most women knit. One girl, who went abroad, had made more than three hundred pairs of socks on her knitting machine. There are also men in the chat room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n