I am the author of the Goodacity blog, a journalist, and a translator. For 16 years, I have worked in professional journalism, contributing to regional and national publications, both in print and online media. I have written reports, conducted interviews, reviews, articles on cultural, social, and charitable topics, as well as materials in the style of "solution journalism" and communication materials.
My focus is on creating interesting and exclusive content. Journalism, to me, is primarily about human stories, to which I always find the key, empathize with the people I write about, and love all my heroes. Journalism, to me, means telling people about what truly matters to them, informing and inspiring them. It is not just a job, but a way of life, just like for all those who dream, create, and are inspired by it.
So, if you are looking for stories that inspire and motivate, that instill faith and help find meaning while believing in goodness, read my stories on the Goodacity website.
I am a manager of cultural affairs and a project manager with over 14 years of experience at United Thinkers. I have participated in the organization of numerous successful social and charitable projects and have implemented informational campaigns and communication cases.
As a marketing manager, I have been involved in organizing marketing and sociological research, working with media and partners, developing advertising and marketing strategies, as well as planning and implementing advertising campaigns.
I believe in the power of goodness and I am happy that as part of the Goodacity project, I can contribute to its expansion. I believe in the power of words and in the fact that communication can help make the world a better place. I know how, where and when to speak in order to be heard. And when you are heard, you can change the world!
How the Solo of One Caring Volunteer Turns Into a Harmonious Choir
“There was this one incident that deeply moved me. After the liberation of Izium, Ukraine, from Russian occupiers, we made several trips there to deliver food and necessities. And once, a girl about ten years old approached me. As I handed her a package of candies, I encouraged her, ‘Take more, share with your friends.’ To which she replied, ‘I don’t have any friends left; they were either killed or have fled…’ It was the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever heard.
You know, the phrase ‘Children are our future’ is no cliché. Without any exaggeration or drama, I grasp its current relevance: for Ukraine to have a future, we in our present must do everything in our power to help children!
And that’s what I’ve been doing for many years…”
Our conversationalist, the renowned volunteer and founder and leader of the NGO “Tree of Life of Poltava” Natalia Leliuk, is one of those people for whom volunteering and charity are as natural as breathing.
“I enjoy helping people,” smiles Mrs. Natalia, responding to what motivated her to become a volunteer. “I don’t need any special stimulus or push to understand that I can allocate a portion of my earnings periodically. Buy some treats, something necessary for the little ones, something they scarcely see in orphanages… And – just go visit. There’s really nothing extraordinary in it, we’ve just forgotten that to empathize and help is the norm.”
Who, exactly, are volunteers? They don’t possess super funds, superpowers, or super abilities, they don’t undergo special training in assisting others; they are just ordinary people, like those who walk by someone in need every day. The only difference is that volunteers – don’t just walk by…
In other countries, people might not know what volunteering is – they simply live and help each other, gather in communities of like-minded individuals. It’s really simple: if you can – help someone, if you currently can’t – your peers will help and support.
Indeed, Mrs. Natalia’s story is about how the solo of one sincere and caring volunteer transforms into a coordinated choir!
A Full-Time Volunteer!
Mrs. Natalia is a private entrepreneur, but first and foremost, as everyone who knows her would say, a full-time volunteer.
“My husband always laughs and says, ‘As long as I’ve known you, you’re always helping children.’ And it’s true: I help, care for, and try to provide everything necessary and organize beneficial and interesting activities for them. I love working with kids – they are so sincere, bright, and they cherish new experiences so tenderly.
“How do you find those in need of help?” I ask Mrs. Natalia. “They find us,” she laughs.
“Most often, these are children from orphanages, kids deprived of parental interaction or from what’s termed as troubled families. We try to help them with clothing, school supplies, and everything necessary, but primarily – to care for them, so they understand and feel that someone cares about them.
Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, many displaced persons from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukraine, have come to Poltava, among them – many children. Children who knew no life without war. And I so wanted to show them that despite the sorrow war brings, the most important thing is not to lose oneself and to keep dreaming…
Once, a mother of such a child confided in me, worrying that she didn’t know how to keep her child occupied during the summer because they had few friends or acquaintances here, and they lacked the funds for a trip to the sea or children’s camps.
I said – we have a cottage not far from Poltava, in the Dykanka district, Ukraine, near a small pond, bring some children and come over, relax, there’s enough space for everyone!
We ended up gathering ten children, invited almost a dozen residents from the Machukhanske orphanage, and decided to organize a children’s camp for them!
And it was an endless relay of goodness: when people heard we were organizing a camp for kids, they eagerly offered to help: both organizations and local residents got involved, bringing potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. Local businesses provided bread for the kids for the entire duration of the camp, some brought sweets and treats, everyone helped however they could – because they understood we were all working towards the same goal… And when we were buying food for the kids, ice cream vendors, hearing about our good deed, gifted us two extra boxes of ice cream on top of what we bought! When they heard what we were doing and why, everyone was willing to help, each person wanted to volunteer.
Teachers from the orphanage and the local Dibrova school came to help organize interesting leisure activities for the kids – various creative activities, contests, and competitions. We have a very active, cohesive community in our village – when we organize something, everyone gets involved!”
Become a Volunteer – Feeling the Power of Compassion!
It all started one summer: we managed to organize a children’s camp for thirty kids, the next year there were sixty, and then even more! The camps varied in focus – some were for fun, others for learning: so the children could acquire practical skills. It’s heartwarming to see that no matter how many kids gathered – even when we had as many as 150 – the atmosphere was always incredibly warm, friendly, and homely. The kids self-organize so wonderfully – they’d paint, sculpt, then off to play soccer. The older ones looked after the younger ones, who in turn looked up to the older kids, dividing themselves into teams for games. For the children, such camps are inspiring and fulfilling, and most importantly, they open up the world to them from its brighter side.
A child who has once experienced genuine and selfless kindness will then want to pass that kindness on, to recreate that feeling for someone else.
You know what’s striking? When teenagers, earning their first money, go out and buy treats to share with younger kids – friends, acquaintances, and neighbors, or when they donate part of their modest earnings to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They understand the joy of helping and sharing.
Although the full-scale Russian invasion currently prevents us from running children’s camps, we still provide targeted help to those in need, caring for kids from the community whose parents are now defending Ukraine on the front lines, for the children of fallen heroes…
We organize festivities, strive to make their childhood vibrant and full, so they feel important, loved, and strong. And so that with their lives, their actions, their ideas, and dreams, they make our world a better place. Children don’t know that changing the world is supposed to be impossible, which is precisely why they manage to change it!
Charity is not just a stretched-out hand but a systemic effort: we keep track of the destinies of the kids we’ve long been helping, some are now in university, some have become parents themselves…
The most satisfying part is seeing the whole community come together, self-organize. For example, in our village, there was a neglected pond. When we started cleaning around it, collecting trash, local kids first joined us to help, and then many adults followed suit. We managed to do a good deed together! Now, every year, I buy and bring in two truckloads of sand for the pond – and the local youth spread it themselves, set up a volleyball net, arranged resting spots, and now the pond is the gem of our village! This shows how a community can self-organize into a single body with just a little initiative. And our people are like that in everything: when we collect aid for the military, all it takes is a call to action, and everyone brings whatever they can! That’s the power of compassion – it helps move mountains,” laughs Mrs. Natalia. “Because actually, become a volunteer is simple… All it takes is caring.
How do I find the time and energy for everything? Honestly – I don’t even know… But I’m inspired by everything I do. When you love, when you’re passionate about something – then you can do anything! Volunteering has a great driving force. This power gives me an energy boost. Maybe I was meant to be exactly where I am, doing exactly what I’m doing, to make life on Earth easier for someone and to make my own life better because of it.”
