by: Liza Kots, guest contributor, direct from Ukraine
Liza, right, distributes aid at the LHI Shelter in Lviv, Ukraine.
Liza is a lawyer and lecturer at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology at the Lviv State University in Ukraine. When the war started in February, she started volunteering with Ukrainian org I Am Not Alone. Together, we have established one of seven Operating Centers in Ukraine. We are honored to hear her story!
“Never give up!” – is a phrase that I always say to myself and people surrounding me. However, it was not enough just to say it, while “doing” is what you need to succeed, change yourself and the world at the same time. So when the full-scale Russian invasion of our country started, the first thought that popped up in my mind was about what I could be helpful with.
The Charitable Foundation I Am Not Alone has united a team of like-minded people, professionals in their fields. Thanks to our coordinated work, we were able to help thousands of people by delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine and sending it to the cities most affected by hostilities. For us, it was a new experience. For my part, I provided legal support to the foundation, prepared customs documents and contractual work. Despite those horrible first months, we have met wonderful people from all over the world and, thanks to our partners, managed to implement the foundation’s charitable activities even better.
Liza, left, oversees the LHI/I Am Not Alone food box program. We visited their warehouse back in April and got to see the program in action.
Liza, second from left, visited one of LHI’s other Operating Centers, the LHI Shelter in Lviv, to lend her legal expertise to residents there.
I recall the stressful initial stages of establishing logistics and conducting phone calls around the clock seven days a week. But, actually, I realized that the military and civilians in the temporarily occupied territories felt much worse.
I am firmly convinced that you need to change the world starting with yourself. It is enough to become more welcoming, strive to help others, and, as a result, the world will seem a better place for at least those we have tried to assist. After all, this is where it all begins because one smile, one kind look, a wise piece of advice or a helping hand – are the powerful means due to which a person next to you will have a completely different opinion about the world around them.
So, guys, let’s be a little wiser, kinder and more understanding. It doesn’t cost a lot, kindness and sympathy are free of charge.
Liza, second from right, collected several Ukrainian books to send to the LHI Refugee Center in Serres, Greece, so that incoming Ukrainian refugee families may feel more at home.