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.
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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.
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How to support a person: useful advice from Grandpa Volodymyr
“I only had my passport and my bicycle left,” sighs grandfather Volodymyr from Zarychne, Ukraine. “At first, when I saw the charred walls that were all that remained, I said, I won’t rebuild anything. Let there be a memory of the ‘liberators’, of how they really ‘liberated’ us… But then I sat and thought – I still have to live! I dug up the garden – there was a shell lying there, still waiting to be taken away, so I filled the hole, planted some beans, carrots, onions – let them grow… You have to turn your energy into good, because what good does it do to cry and pity yourself?”
"Fear is not only being without a roof over your head, but also being without hope for the future"
How to support a person during war? When we were on our way to visit grandfather Volodymyr, who was dismantling the ruins of his house due to the war, we were worried and searching for words of support for a person who had lost his home and everything familiar due to the war. “You came – and I already feel better, because I see that I’m not alone, that there are people who care about me, an old man,” says Volodymyr Markovych. “It’s scary to be without a roof over your head, but it’s even scarier to be without hope for the future. And when you realize that you are not alone in your misery, then strength appears! And with it, you can overcome all the difficulties that fate throws at you…”
There is much to complain about in life, but grandfather Volodymyr does not complain. He talks about how he cared for his late wife, who died 16 years ago – she had a severe form of diabetes, was ill for a long time, and spent the last few years of her life bedridden and almost blind. In 2016, his son passed away, and two years later, his youngest granddaughter died due to an accident…
“Despite enduring a great deal of pain in his old age, he never gave up,” says Maria, the granddaughter of the grandfather in question. “No matter how difficult things got, he never complained and learned to handle everything himself – cooking, tending the garden, keeping his house in order…which used to be there – but now it’s just a pile of bricks. The house that he built almost forty years ago, where he lived with his wife, raised his son, and where his grandchildren and friends would visit, no longer exists. It’s heartbreaking for him to have lost everything and have no roof over his head as he faces his twilight years. Thank you for your help and kindness – the support during the war is very important to him!”
“I’m 73 years old, an old man,” says Volodymyr Markovych, laughing when asked about his age. “If I were a decade or two younger, I would have hopped in a tank and gone to help our boys. I thought, God forbid, if the Russian army comes any closer, I’d have to join the partisans… I watch the news, rooting for our troops every day, talking to them on the TV, saying, “Get those bastards out of our land so they won’t harm anyone else…” You see, here in Zarichne, on the outskirts of Chernihiv, after the Russian shelling, whole buildings were almost destroyed, and I was doubly unlucky – my house was hit by two shells, leaving nothing behind…”
It first “arrived” on the night of March 4th to 5th, there was heavy shelling, and I had just left a friend’s house when she called and said, “You don’t have any lights or it’s hard to go down the ladder, you might fall, so come to us – we’ll stay together.” When a shell exploded in her garden, it was so loud that the cellar doors wouldn’t open – we had to pry them open with a crowbar to get out, luckily there was one there…
And on that same day, when I came to them, a shell hit my house, it was on fire, and there was no water to put it out, so everything burned down. And at the end of March, when the Russian troops were leaving Chernihiv region, Ukraine, shooting everything they saw, a second shell hit the house and destroyed everything… Some walls were left, but everything inside was destroyed, literally everything. But you know what, when I was clearing the rubble, I found a few plates miraculously intact and leaning against each other. So I took them, washed them – let them be a reminder of the past, the ruined life. Such are the things…
"The world is not without good people - and everyone is looking for ways to support others during times of war"
“At first, I felt such despair that I can’t even put into words,” admits Volodymyr Markovych. “I sat and thought, why should I even go on living now? But then I saw how people were supporting and helping each other, the kind of support we have during times of war, and I pulled myself together and went to plant some vegetables in my garden… A person lives as long as they are doing something. I’ve worked in metalworking my whole life – as a fitter, turner – and the garden is something I do for my soul,” he laughs. “Last year, I planted beans, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, radishes, onions and garlic. I plan to do the same this year. I was out in my yard the other day, digging up the garden, planting a little sorrel, parsley, lettuce – just enough for me. I’ll share with my in-laws – they have a big family, and I don’t even want to eat by myself. I sit down at the table, snack on something, and I’m good – it’s enough for me.”
“Great-granddaughter Mariyka with her children (I am already a 14-year-old great-grandfather and have two great-grandchildren – 14 and 5 years old) first endured shelling in the basement, and then they left for Poland – she called me to go with her, but I didn’t go because everything I have is here, even if it’s in ruins … Godson temporarily let them live in his house in Kiyintsy, but the house is put up for sale, so I don’t know what will happen next … There is no work, the pension is small, and there is no roof over my head …
“Besides me, there is no one left for him,” says great-granddaughter Maria. “In reality, he is very hard, but he tries to hold on, not to show it, he doesn’t want to cause me trouble.
“I will live in the barn that remained in the yard,” he says, “because I want to live near my home until the end of my days …” And in that barn, the floor is earthen, the roof is shabby, the room is not at all suitable for living, how will he live there? Thank you to the volunteers from the Association of Volunteers “Bo Mozhemo” (Because We Can) – they came, helped to clear the rubble, and now we are considering what and how to do with the reconstruction.
I cannot rebuild the house financially by myself. We are earning money with all our might to start construction, we asked for help from people – thank you to everyone who is looking for an opportunity to support a person during the war.”
Grandfather is very hardworking, he says he would do everything himself, but it’s a very long job… He’s not afraid of any work, he took on everything. Last spring, when he was working in Sherstyanka, he even went to work under shelling. Later, the guys from the defense told me that everything was exploding around, everyone was hiding, but Grandfather was riding his bicycle to work, so we sent him home… That bicycle is all he has left, his loyal friend, he always rides it everywhere. A stray kitten used to run up to him from time to time, he fed it, the kitten survived, it comes to the ruins, neighbors feed it… I see that Grandfather misses it – but where could he take it, you can’t take it to someone else’s house, and he doesn’t have his own…
“I would like to have my own roof over my head,” sighs Volodymyr Markovych. “I never thought I would have to go through something like this in my old age. But it’s alright, the world is not without good people, and everyone is looking for ways to support each other during the war: volunteers came and helped, a newspaper wrote about me, my granddaughter gave out my card, so people are sending me a little money, sharing what they can – I thank them for it, because I understand that it’s not easy for anyone these days. They say a person is known in times of trouble – I have experienced enough troubles at my age, but I have also experienced humanity – and that makes me want to keep on living!”.
