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 to survive the war: simple advice from Grandma Halia
Grandma Halya comes out of her modular home in the morning, carrying a canvas bag over her shoulder – a bit of soup in a thermos, a simple sandwich (“I cook early while everyone is still asleep, because there are only four burners on the stove, and twenty of us live in the block”), she gets on her old bicycle and rides…
You might ask, “How to survive the war?” but she only has two routes: to the cemetery, to visit her beloved husband and son’s graves, “I’ll tidy up the graves, cry a little, and then I’ll feel better…” or “Home”. To that home, that she and her late husband built brick by brick. To the home where she had lived for almost half a century. To the home that was destroyed by a Russian missile last spring…
"When you help others, it becomes easier for yourself"
“Last April, I went there too: I’m going, they ask me, ‘Where are you going?’ and even though I know that there are only burnt walls there, I still say, ‘Home’… No matter how difficult it is, those walls are dear to me… But you know, if last spring I went to the ruins, this year – to the construction site, volunteers from the “Bo mozhemo” (Because We Can) volunteer association have built me two rooms, still without electricity, water or gas, I can’t live there yet, but at least there is something, and I’m very grateful to them,” the woman said.
We met grandma Halya from Chernihiv, Ukraine, last spring. Her incredible kindness and resilience left a lasting impression on us: on her ruined property, she planted a small garden “so as not to sit idly and go crazy with grief.” And then she happily shared her harvest with everyone who needed it. “I don’t need much myself,” she said. “And where can I keep it all? There are no houses left, only ruins… How to survive the war – with God’s help and the help of kind people! And when you help others, it becomes easier for yourself…”
We visit the woman almost a year later, in the same courtyard. “I’m here now digging, breaking bricks, clearing the area so we can lay the floor later. It’s hard work, and on top of that, I have polyarthritis and my hands are swollen…
My husband and I built this house together when I was 27 years old, brick by brick. I still remember it, but now I’m 77 and I don’t have the same strength anymore.
My life has been difficult, very difficult. I try not to think about it, just focus on my daily work and forget a little… Fifty years ago, we moved into this new house, everything was great – we had a family, a growing son… Later, our son was diagnosed with a serious form of diabetes. He was sick for a long time, and 18 years ago, he passed away. Then my husband died, and I was left alone… I thought I would spend my old age in my home, but it turned out differently – the “liberators” came and “liberated” me from my house…”.
"I want to live in my own home!"
Baba Halya was the only one on the street who didn’t leave when the war started… Until her house burned down. A shell hit the yard, the fire quickly spread to the house and shed – everything burned down.
“I might have saved something while it was burning, but my legs stopped working from shock,” says Baba. “I stood there silently watching everything that I had worked hard to bring into the house burn down. And now, in my old age, I have to go live out my days in a shelter…”.
At first, I was admitted to the Chernihiv Rehabilitation Center for Children, then I moved to a general modular building and now I live in a small room there. In winter, when they turned off the electricity, it was a bit cold, but now it’s okay. I don’t need much – I spend the whole day here, at my old house. I am alone all day, except for the occasional visit from cats and dogs, and I feed them as they come since I don’t have any fences. Please God, let me survive this war – I want to live out the rest of my life in my own home, for as long as God sends me, but can I do it? It’s good that volunteers helped me rebuild the walls and roof, but there’s still a lot of work to do, and the biggest problem is gas and water.
I was first accepted at the Chernihiv Rehabilitation Center for Children, then moved to a communal modular building and now live in a small room there. In the winter, when the power went out, it was a bit cold, but now it’s okay, livable. I don’t need much – I spend the night, gather some kind of snack and then head back to my own walls for the whole day. I’m alone here all day – unless some cats or dogs come by, I don’t have a fence, so everyone comes and I offer them treats, after all, it’s a living soul…
God grant me to survive this war – I want to live out my days in my homeland, for as long as God sends me – but will I be able to? It’s good that volunteers helped me rebuild the walls and roof, but there is still a lot of work to do, and the biggest problem is gas and water.
Good people gave me a bicycle – thank God, because mine burned down. You know what I regret the most? My family photos and the radio – I turned it on in the morning and it said something, and it felt like I wasn’t alone anymore. Well, at least I managed to gather a few photos from acquaintances – just some kind of reminder, it makes it easier for me…
I thank all the kind people who helped me – Oksanka from Goodacity is like family to me, without them I wouldn’t even know how to survive the war! And what brings me the most joy is the attention and caring – when you see that you are not alone, it makes you want to live!
You know, I already have the first flowers on my land – crocuses. When they appeared, my soul felt lighter… I look at those flowers – the ground was so trampled there and all kinds of things were thrown on it – because I manage to clean everything up. I think – if they, such small and delicate things, can grow despite everything, then a person must strive with all their might…
