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!
Dad is captured, mom is gone...
“Grandma, why do all the other kids go to school with their mom and dad, but only you take me?” – Bogdan’s blue eyes fill with tears. His dad has been in captivity for over half a year, and his mom is no more…
Bogdan is seven. He loves playing with cars, drawing, and playing soccer. “My dad was defending Ukraine and got captured by the enemy,” he shares trustingly. “And I’m waiting for him, waiting every day…”
“We live in hope – it’s been eight months now,” shares the boy’s grandmother, Mrs. Maria. “One day, Bogdan woke up and said, ‘I dreamed that dad was here, hugging me…’. Every day, he looks out the window, hoping to see his dad…
Once, while playing with his toy cars and pistols, he told me – I’ll go fight to free him! I almost cried – thinking, child, if only war was not part of your lifetime… Children during the war endure so much pain…”
Mom Broke My Heart
“Looking at my son’s childhood photo and Bogdan – they’re the spitting image of each other, my grandson is just like his dad,” says Mrs. Maria. “Bogdan only knew his mom for the first two years of his life. My son Dmytro has been defending Ukraine since 2014, spent a year in the Anti-Terrorist Operation, fighting near Debaltseve, Ukraine. From the Luhansk region, Ukraine, he brought us our daughter-in-law – he met her there while serving. They got married, and soon Bogdan was born, it seemed like – live and be happy, but life had other plans… They rented a house in the neighboring village, and while Dmytro was at work, his wife would leave little Bogdan locked in the house – he was barely two years old then, and she’d go out to entertain herself with friends, with whom she very quickly ‘grew close’…
Neighbors told us that they often heard a child crying from the house. They moved to another village, further away from ‘the company’ – and the same story repeated itself… Those are painful memories… Dmytro couldn’t stand it, he came back home with Bogdan. From then on, he was both dad and mom to him. Sometimes, he even took him to work by the hand when the kindergarten was closed due to quarantine.
Despite everything, my son tried to support his ex-wife, helped her, arranged for her to meet with their son – when Bogdan was younger, he brought him to her for a day, and she would soon call asking him to take him back… I will probably never understand – how can a mom turn away from her child?!
Now, even though she lives just ten kilometers from our village, she shows no interest in Bogdan’s life, hasn’t communicated with him for years, never visits the child, and this year the court terminated her parental rights – she didn’t even show up for the hearing…
It’s all very painful. Bogdan’s memories of her are not pleasant, now he doesn’t even want to remember his mom…
‘I don’t want a mom like that anymore, mom broke my heart,’ he said once, with a pain that seemed beyond his years… Such deep thoughts for a little child… He’s been our little ‘philosopher’ from a young age – sometimes the things he says! And he sings so beautifully – when we were in a tight spot, I sold vegetables at the market and took Bogdan with me, and he would entertain all of us with songs – dozens in a row, both folk and modern, singing tirelessly and so artistically, with soul! Last year at the village festival, he sang ‘Oh, in the meadow there is a red viburnum,’ and he recently performed again. I record all his performances on video – when Dmytro returns, I’ll show them to him. Every evening, Bogdan and I pray for his return…”
Children During the War Need Moments of Joy
“Life has been tough,” shares Mrs. Maria. “My husband and I had four children, and we did our best to raise them right… My husband passed away five years ago after a long and difficult illness, and the medical expenses were astronomical. I had to go abroad to work off the debts…
My children are my support; we all stick together and help each other in whatever way we can, all rallying around me and deeply concerned for Dmytro. My eldest son lives separately, with his wife and their three little ones. One of my daughters is currently abroad, and the other is in Ternopil, Ukraine.
Now, it’s just Bogdan and me. He’s lively and can’t sit still, but he always listens to me – helps with whatever I ask. Thank you for the treats for him – children during the war desperately need moments of joy! He’s doing well in school, grasps everything quickly, and tries hard… He loves to draw, paints the yellow and blue flags, soldiers…
“Yay, now I have my own tablet,” the boy joyously reacts to the gifts. “I wanted it so much… I’ll play games, watch cartoons? Can I draw on it? I’ll draw a soldier with a flag, and show it to dad when he comes…”
You know, when he’s playing and chattering – it lightens my heart, because I’m worried every day for my son, wondering how he is, praying to God for his safety…
Since Dmytro had combat experience, he went to fight from the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion. “Who, if not us,” he said.
“Son, you’re the man of the house now,” he hugged Bogdan goodbye. Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Ukraine – he defended everywhere he was needed, increasingly in ‘hotter’ spots. He didn’t talk much about his service but tried to call Bogdan and me every day, even just for a moment, to calm us and to hear his son’s voice. They’re very close; for Bogdan, dad is his entire world! How he rejoiced when Dmytro came home on leave last November! They spent all their time together. Children and war – it’s seeing your dad only during his rare leaves home… And then the son went back to the front again – didn’t even tell us where, so we wouldn’t worry… Again – the anxiety, brief calls from the front, hugs with dad – only over the phone. And when, at the end of January, we lost contact with Dmytro, a mother’s heart immediately sensed trouble… Weeks went by without any news, I was beside myself with worry, then we received a message that my son had gone missing in a hot spot in Donetsk. The uncertainty was the most terrifying… Then one night, I dreamed of Dmytro. “Mom, I’m alive, don’t cry,” I heard his words… And later, my daughters found a video on Russian resources where one of the prisoners was recognized as Dmytro… I cried out of happiness – that he’s alive, and out of pain for my son… Now every day, every prayer is for him… We don’t know exactly where he’s being held, haven’t had any news from him.
We wait for every exchange, read the lists. We rejoice for every soldier, male or female, returning home from captivity – someone’s father, son, brother, husband, mother, wife, or sister. We wait and believe that our Dmytro will come home too.
One day Bogdan asked me, “Grandma,” he said, “tell me the truth, is my dad alive?” I burst into tears, hugged him, and said, “Your dad is alive, we’ll definitely wait for him!” I believe it will be so!”
