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!
Fortitude, belief in Victory, and life-saving volunteerism!
Alina is 23. Petite, smiling, with sparks in her eyes. Her hair, which was very short not long ago, is now growing out and curling. “Today we’re weaving camouflage netting, let’s talk tomorrow,” she says when we call to arrange the interview.
But even “tomorrow” she is immersed in work: “I just finished making a new batch of nut-honey mixture for our guys,” she shares. Fortitude in this delicate girl is impressive — fighting against cancer, she finds the strength within herself to volunteer and help others every day! Her story is about finding a path to healing despite the war, doing everything possible, and being fueled by hope for Victory!
War in a Square
Chernihiv Oblast., Ukraine, End of February 2022. All around, there is war, and Alina has her own war, a personal war, with a severe and terrifying illness. War in a square… And the delicate girl, whose fortitude defies them both.
“At that time, I was undergoing therapy after a bone marrow cell transplant,” recalls the girl. “Every 20 days, I needed intravenous drips, which were delivered from Kyiv. The medications were extremely expensive—over a hundred thousand hryvnias per vial. Fortunately, they were provided by a charitable foundation, but not all of them. Some still had to be paid for. I needed 16 drips, but I only received 4. The last drip was on February 18th. I was waiting for the next one, but it never came — there was a war…”
There was no question of going for treatment. I was very unwell, lying at home without even having the strength to get up, and columns of occupiers were driving through the village, shelling all the vehicles… Tanks kept rolling and rolling endlessly. It was extremely terrifying to lie there and listen to those sounds. Both the treatment and the stress from the war and occupation took their toll—I practically didn’t get out of bed for several months.
In April, after the occupiers were driven out of Chernihiv region and our village, I was able to continue treatment and slowly start the recovery process.
By profession, I am a nurse,” the girl says, “but it so happened that I didn’t work in my field: during my studies, I was diagnosed with cancer. I took a year of academic leave, underwent treatment, recovered, resumed my studies, and when I was finishing college, there was a relapse. I completed my studies and started treatment again – that’s how I’ve been treating myself up until now.
You know, even during the occupation, all the people here were so united, everyone helped each other, supported each other. And then, together with volunteers from neighboring Antonovychi (our tireless energizer and our inspiration, Katya Fedelesh!) and Shybrinivka, we organized ourselves to help the army: we all started making camouflage nets together, twisting trench candles, and preparing various treats for our defenders. And as soon as I started feeling a little better, I decided that I also wanted to help – to do everything in my power!
Fortitude: helping oneself by helping others
We had some naked-seeded pumpkin seeds at home – the good thing about them is that they don’t need to be peeled. We grew these pumpkins – we planned to sell the seeds because my treatment was taking a lot of money, but instead, we decided to make healthy and vitamin-rich treats for our defenders!
First, we tried frying pumpkin seeds and then pouring honey over them – it turned out interesting and tasty. Later, we decided to make a “mix” by adding some nuts. At that time, I didn’t even have the strength to peel the nuts myself – luckily, our neighbor, volunteer Tanya Symonchuk, came to help. They peeled the nuts with their daughters, while I sorted and dried them in the oven before pouring honey over everything. We gave the treats to the guys – and they thanked us and complimented us, saying it was very delicious!
How it cheered me up, how it inspired me – words can’t express it! Such a fortitude emerged from this! So we started making more and more. The girls offered to buy pumpkin seeds from me – because they knew about our situation and that we were preparing it for sale… And I said to them, “I don’t need money, I’ll give you as many seeds as you need, and with that money, buy something useful and necessary for our guys!” Their feedback inspired me – how they enjoy and like it. And as soon as I could, I started peeling the nuts myself and making nut-seed mixtures. Now I do everything myself: in the evening, I wash the jars, dry the nuts and seeds, and the next day, I carefully sort everything so that there are no shell fragments, and then I pour honey over them.
People are incredible, they help in any way they can: some brought us honey, some half a liter, some a liter, and one philanthropist from Chernihiv even sent us a whopping 20 liters of honey! Our relatives from Kyiv region also brought us honey from their own apiary and added hazelnuts as well. The hazelnuts needed to be cracked with a hammer, but since the boys enjoy it, I’m willing to do it as much as necessary! Sincere thanks to all the people who contribute their help: bringing jars, nuts, honey, seeds – together we are an incredible force!”
People with love and steel
“Disease, like war, comes suddenly, hits painfully and unexpectedly, breaks the accustomed way of life, changes priorities and values… What helped me was the fortitude and a firm belief that we can handle everything,” says Alina. “Both the external enemy and the enemy of illness… Although every day requires finding the strength to overcome it. In such a situation, it is very important to have something that can support you. And, of course, your own fortitude. Yes, sometimes you can allow yourself to be weak, but you need to choose who you are – a sick person or a recovering one. I chose to recover! I realized that it doesn’t matter how you move forward – with tiny steps, through pain and despair, through disbelief, through “I can’t” – it doesn’t matter how… What matters is to keep moving! And the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself, the sense of involvement that volunteering brings – it supported and inspired me, gave me the strength to move forward and not lose hope! Someone supports me, and I support someone. That is a great power.
When I felt unwell and didn’t feel like getting up after the intravenous drip, I knew I had to get up because I had planned to make nut-honey mixtures for the boys, and I take this responsibility very seriously. I carefully select the nuts, dry them thoroughly, sort them out – because I want only the best for the boys! And that kept me going – I could shell nuts and dry seeds until late at night because I knew that the next day our volunteer girls planned to send a package to the front. By helping others, we help ourselves – now I know what that means. So I got up and did it!
For me, it’s more than just an activity – it’s also an incredible source of inspiration! When the boys send thanks for the treats or videos, it’s so nice, it gives me strength, and I feel like working more and more! Sometimes I would post videos of how I prepare honey-nut mixtures on TikTok, and people would write to me, asking if they could buy them or if I could ship them. But I would say – I don’t sell these treats, they are exclusive for those who protect us.
Are there any specific technological nuances or cooking secrets? Overall, the process is not complicated but has its peculiarities. When the honey crystallizes, I heat it in a water bath, but in a way that it doesn’t boil, and then I pour it in several steps over the nuts with pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Pumpkin seeds are currently out of stock – no one has them anymore, so I buy sunflower seeds now and make mixtures with them. And the pumpkins have already been planted – there will be plenty to make mixtures in the fall, although I really dream that the war will be over by then, and the treats will be just for the soul.
I dream primarily about our victory – and my victory won’t be far behind! The recipe is the same: to be strong, not to lose hope, and to do everything in our power!
Where do I get the strength? Probably from the same place where I give it, says Alina. From the rows of jars with treats ready to be sent to the front. From the short messages of gratitude from the boys – they make me feel like flying! From the realization that today I contributed to a good cause and lived this day meaningfully. And most of all – from love! Look how much of it there is around us and in each one of us! We, Ukrainians, now – with love and steel!”
