As part of the project “Ukrainian youth is changing the world,” we collect and share stories of proactive young Ukrainians with diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and lifestyles. Today, the leader and founder of the “OK Fund” will share the story of its creation.
Mrs. Katerina, please tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Katya. I was born on February 24th. On that day, a full-scale war began. I celebrated my birthday a bit differently than I expected. I am a teacher: I teach piano and vocal. I’m already 30 years old, and I’m not married.
What is your educational background?
I am a teacher of ethics, aesthetics, art culture, and musical art.
Where do you work?
I am a private entrepreneur. I have a creative studio where we offer painting, piano, guitar, vocal, basically all creative disciplines.
What do you do besides work?
I volunteer. Actually, it takes up a lot of my time because I am the leader of a charitable organization. As a leader, I need to sign something, approve things, and sometimes go to meetings. Of course, I do try to relax when possible.
I just came back from the Donetsk region; I haven’t been there for a long time. Before that, we were in Sumy, near the border. Now I went there for personal matters unrelated to volunteering. But yes, I have been to the Donetsk region on a volunteer mission before. I also visited the Kherson region, near the river. So, I often have these trips, if you can call them that.
Tell me more about how you experienced February 24th.
On February 24th, I woke up around 5:00 in the morning because a phone call awakened me. I was told that everything had started and that I needed to gather my things and go somewhere. I decided to stay here.
Since it was my birthday, the day before, I had taken some dough out of the freezer to thaw, as I was expecting guests the next day. In the morning, I didn’t immediately start cooking because no one knew what would happen. So, I packed a suitcase and just left it by the entrance in case I needed essential items.
And somehow it started like that: someone called, asking for help. I started volunteering in my own way that day. But still, I managed to bake that pie for myself.
Neighbors and I gathered and were just shrugging our shoulders because we didn’t understand how things would unfold and how we would continue to live. The day passed by in an instant.
Pharmacies were almost not working. Many people, primarily acquaintances, asked if certain medications were available in Kyiv. I started helping with that. There were also a lot of issues with pets left locked in apartments. I assisted a shelter, and they were overwhelmed at that time. I sewed bedding for dogs for them.
What did you feel when the full-scale war began?
I didn’t know what would happen next and what to do. I tend to think positively and believe that we won’t just give up like that. We will fight and defend our country. There’s probably a fighting spirit within us, and I, myself, am a bit of a fighter.
Tell me more about the charitable organization “OK Fund” that you lead.
It all started in the early days of the invasion. Some people were leaving the building where I lived at the time, while others stayed. This group of people who stayed became very close-knit. We got to know each other and started communicating.
My ex was the administrator of a housing cooperative. He suggested gathering the people who stayed and starting volunteering together. We received medications from Italy, and we found some throughout Kyiv. We began addressing the needs of people in our district. These were primarily elderly people, and later, veterans joined us. Eventually, the question of officially registering the organization arose.
We submitted the documents to establish the charitable organization “OK Fund,” and it evolved into a completely different level. From helping the elderly, we expanded to supporting the military. We also visit orphanages and travel to the territories affected by the conflict.
Did you face any difficulties during the official registration of the fund?
Well, there was a lack of knowledge, probably because I don’t have a legal background. I understood that there would likely be some mistakes in our documents initially, and we would need to make corrections.
We got in touch with a young lady who pointed out the areas that needed correction. We made those adjustments, submitted the documents, and that was it.
Since when has your fund been officially registered?
Our fund has been officially registered since June 6, 2022.
Tell me a bit about the team of the foundation.
The team consists of 10 people. We have Yana, who used to help orphanages. Now she compiles lists of children, finds out what they need and in what quantities. We prepare all this and send it out.
Some guys help with loading and unloading. There’s Sasha, who selects military ammunition. He’s a former soldier, so he knows his way around this. But we also have many girls who understand these nuances.
We had one project before Christmas — we made individual gifts for each child. We had lists of children from the Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions. Each package had the child’s name, surname, age, and height. Inside, there were sweets, socks, and more. I love Christmas a lot, and for me, it’s still like a miracle. I really wanted to give this miracle to the children living in the occupied territories.
I remember that there was a lot of anxiety throughout Ukraine at that time. Nobody could reach us, and everyone was worried. Meanwhile, I was running around in the Kherson region looking for children because we needed to distribute all these gifts. Some drivers didn’t want to go because we were right on the shore. We were only four kilometers away from the Russians, but luckily, there was fog, and we weren’t as visible.
When we arrived in one village, we started looking for the head of the village council because he had the lists of children to whom we were supposed to deliver the packages. He lived on the outskirts. At one point, Oleksiy slowed down and said, “Katya, I won’t go there.” He parked the car behind the house so we wouldn’t be visible. I went to look for the head of the council. At that time, he was repairing the roof of his mother-in-law’s house because it had been damaged. Moments like these are memorable.
Among the girls who traveled to such places, I was the only one. Well, you can’t take them on such trips because you need strength to unload the large boxes. When we were preparing the gifts, many people got involved. So, we have our core team, and some people help periodically when they can.
Translator: Bohdana-Nikolietta Terekhina
