Oleksandr
Oleksandr is from the Kherson region, where he lived with his family and was engaged in agriculture. After the outbreak of full-scale war, his village fell under occupation. His wife and daughter evacuated to Lviv earlier, while he managed to leave only after 215 days—in September 2022.
In October, through a friend, Oleksandr learned about the foundation’s work and joined the team. Alongside him, an invaluable volunteer also became part of the team—Shusha, a Labrador and the beloved pet of his eldest daughter, who now lives in Canada.
After the war is over, Oleksandr plans to start breeding koi carp. He recalls how he and his wife once created a pond near their home to raise these fish, but, unfortunately, they had to abandon everything because of the war. Currently, Oleksandr’s village is still under Russian occupation and the man is not sure whether he will ever return, despite the fact that he left everything there.
Now he is sure that he will keep volunteering until the war is over, because once you start, you have to finish the job. And these words best describe Oleksandr – he always finishes everything, whether it’s working in an a shelter for displaced people, repairing an orphanage, delivering humanitarian aid, or taking on any other volunteer work.