Greetings, Roksolana! Tell us about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you do?
Good morning, Yuliia! Thanks for taking an interest in me. I am a teacher of Ukrainian and English languages. I am on maternity leave right now. Before, I worked in the education department of the Koziv village council. I am from Lviv region, a small village called Pohar in the Stryi district.
What was your first experience as a volunteer?
If we’re talking about my very first experience, it was during my student years when representatives from the charity fund «Caritas» came to us looking for volunteers. At that time, I was afraid to raise my hand and show my desire to volunteer. As a result, my friend and I ended up going to «Caritas» and volunteering in the project «Become a Friend for a Child» where we helped a girl with special educational needs.
The first experience of volunteering was charity ruffles since the full-scale invasion. I saw people doing it and decided that I could give it a shot. After all, you have to be useful, do something and help our country in this extremely difficult time. You can’t just sit around and do nothing.
Since I love reading, I have many books, so I decided to raffle off some of them. The first prize was books. I thought I would hold one lottery and help my friend who was collecting for her brother from the 44th Brigade. We collected more than 3 thousand hryvnias, but it was already a joy. After all, the prize cost 500-700 UAH, and we raised several times more.
Did you plan to hold raffles on a regular basis, or did this idea come up later? Did someone push you to do it?
After the first raffle, I had doubts about whether I should keep doing it. I thought that no one knew me, that there would be no one to donate money to, and how these people can trust me. I didn’t believe I could raise anything. So, I began to observe what was happening. There were a lot of money collections for cars, drones, and food. However, the amounts were too big for me to donate on my own. So I decided that I would help to bring the victory at least a bit closer. I collected funds for various needs and whenever help was needed, and I continue to hold raffles to this day.
Where do you find items for the raffles?
The first lots were my own staff. I had some cosmetics, books, notebooks. I tried to buy something with my maternity leave money when the supplies ran out. Then people started to offer their own lots, but it was probably after the tenth lottery. Now, many people regularly offer items for the raffles.
Where do you conduct the raffles and spread the info about them?
My main social networks which I use for raffles are Instagram and Facebook. These platforms are quite effective for charity purposes. I conduct the raffles live on Instagram, and then I share the video on Facebook so that people can see that everything is transparent and honest.
Do you remember the largest amount you managed to raise in one lottery? And do you keep track of the total amount you raised during this time?
Yes, it was 38 thousand hryvnias. This lottery was organized with the help of a neighbor who has lived in Poland for many years. So far, it’s a record, but I hope it will be more.
I have two opposite dreams. The first one is that my charity lotteries will not be needed for the war, but will be directed to other needs. There are many sick children and socially vulnerable group of people, but I don’t want them to be used for the war. I dream that the war will end tomorrow. Although I realize that this is a utopia now. And the second one is to raise a million hryvnias. When people ask me what you did and how you helped during the war. I can say that I collected one million hryvnias during my maternity leave. As for the total amount, it’s 560,919 hryvnias as of February 8, 2024, but I’m not stopping.
You’re doing great! Have you faced any hate in this business?
Oh yes, I have. How could I not? As you know, I live in a small village. Everyone knows everyone here. About two months ago, some people decided that I was making money for myself with these raffles because I wouldn’t just do it for free. They even mentioned a specific amount – 10,000 plus percents. They said that I was from UTC (United Territorial Communities). At first, I have tried to explain that this was unreal, but then I realized that there was no point in arguing and proving anything. Many people supported me: both volunteers and lottery participants. At first, I cried, I wanted to end it up. Then I decided that I shouldn’t give up because of someone’s false assumptions, because there are people who really need these raisings.
Sometimes we raised 25,000 hryvnias for turnstiles, and that’s a lot of turnstiles that the «Sich» purchased. We helped to raise money for a car. Then I calmed down and pretended I hadn’t heard anything.
That’s the right decision. You are doing an amazing job, and for the sake of that, it’s worth continuing! Could you please tell us how we can participate in the raffle?
You can join the raffle on Instagram or Facebook. I always share information about the raffle there, you can find the card number under the post. As a rule, I try to leave the number of the main fundraiser. It’s either a military card or an official volunteer’s. So people can see that everything is transparent. If there’s no such option, I collect funds on my own card, and then I post screenshots at the end of the raffle. As for limitations, it’s only in time.
The statistics of the lottery are as follows: the first and second days are a furor, on the third day the lottery reaches its peak, and then goes down. There is no point in running lotteries for more than 5 days. The best results are usually the first two days. If I see that the ruffle is not going well, I can continue the period. There were one or two lotteries that did not go well, and I extended them to seven or more days in order to collect a certain amount of money.
What is the cost of one ticket for the ruffle, and are there any age restrictions for participants?
The cost of one ticket is usually 50 UAH. There was only one lottery where the ticket cost 500 UAH. This was due to the fact that we were raffling off a seaside vacation in Poland for seven days. Accordingly, such ticket could not cost 50 hryvnias. This, of course, limited access to the ruffle for many people. We raised about 20 thousand hryvnias. I always try to make sure that there are several winners and everyone gets something to remember their participation. There are no age restrictions, usually adults take part. If children want to participate in raffle, they have to discussed it with their parents.
A vacation at sea is a very cool prize! What areas are the funds raised for? Do people write to you personally, or do you look for funds by yourself?
The collected funds are directed towards various needs. We raised money for dried fruit, energy bars, drones, a dome, a starlink, a generator, cars, charging stations, thermal imagers, blood pumps, turnstiles, and sleeping systems.
I used to monitor who and how much was still needed to close the collection and write to them. Now people write themselves. I can’t even take a break between raffles because 90 percent of donation is from the same people, so I need to take a few days’ break.
What inspires you to continue this work? What advice would you give to yourself at the beginning of the journey?
My inspiration comes from my children. My son has recently turned six, and he is already so aware of the situation happening in our country. He asks, «What are you collecting money for now? I want to buy tickets too!» He sacrifices some of his savings for the army. And this motivates me a lot. He is such a conscious little Ukrainian. Looking at the children, you want the war to end as soon as possible, and you realize that you need to make more efforts for this and not give up. I don’t want our children to know what war is and to have to fight, but I want them to live in a free and peaceful country, like all children live. Probably that’s why I continue to do this, so they will know about the war only from books.
As for advice to myself, I would probably remember why I am doing this. Do not to listen to or pay attention to gossip, and not to listen to people who always know how you should live and follow my own path.
Everyone’s contribution is important. Everyone should be in their place, doing what they can be useful for. In maternity leave, I found what I can be useful for – charity raffles. Do not stop under any circumstances as long as there is a need. Do not try to change people, because not everyone is ready to sacrifice something for the good of the country and our victory. In fact, people’s apathy really touches me, because 50 hryvnias is not an amount of money you think about how to spend it. We just need to move forward and bring our victory closer.
Thank you for your time and all the good things you are doing!
Translator: Yuliia Koleha
The material was produced with the support of the NGO «Institute of Mass Information» as part of a project of the international organisation Internews Network.
