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At the end of the action collected about 1,665,700 tenge. To close the tenth collection needs the same amount more.

For the third year in a row, the Kazakhstani charity foundation “Angels of Freedom” holds a traditional race in Vyshyvanka Run, which originated in Ukraine 11 years ago. The co-founder of the fund Iryna Semenchuk told us how this run began in Kazakhstan, why it is needed and what emotions it gives to volunteers and participants.

Thanks to donations from Kazakhstan, more than 4,000 children were able to go to school again.

“Iuliia, born and raised in the Mykolaiv Region, moved to the Moscow suburbs as a teenager. In Russia, she married and had children. After February 24, 2022, she wanted to leave Russia immediately, but her family was not prepared for emigration. Her parents were living in Mykolaiv during the Russian invasion. Iuliia’s grandmother was under occupation in the Mykolaiv Region near Kherson. Shortly after mobilization was announced, Yulia found a conscription notice in her mailbox, prompting the family to leave hastily for Kazakhstan. In Astana, Iuliia became a volunteer for the Angels of Freedom charity fund.”

“Yevgeniy Ribalko, a citizen of Kazakhstan and an ethnic Ukrainian, was born in Chernihiv. After February 24, 2022, he began actively participating in volunteer aid for Ukraine. He quickly realized that more than just collecting humanitarian aid was needed, so he founded the Angels of Freedom charity fund in Astana (https://angelsoffreedom.kz). The fund’s volunteers create angel-shaped crafts and distribute them in exchange for donations. The funds raised are used to equip bomb shelters and repair damage caused by shelling in kindergartens and schools in Chernihiv.”

Iryna Semenchuk is a PR manager from Ukraine. She has been living in Kazakhstan, her husband’s homeland, for five years. But at the beginning of the war the family found themselves in Kiev. They had to sleep in a basement for three days. After it they were evacuated with the Kazakh embassy help. With like-minded people in Kazakhstan Irina launched an “Angels of Freedom” campaign, which soon turned into a relief fund — the money is used to equip shelters in Ukrainian schools and kindergartens. Educational institutions can’t operate permanently without it now. 20 million KZT (more than $43,000) raised over the year has already helped two kindergartens and three schools attended by 2,800 children. In the “Eyewitnesses” project Iryna talks about big deeds done in small steps, and about penance, without which reconciliation will not be possible.

“Kazakhstanis’ charity funds help equipping shelters in kindergartens and schools of Chernihiv. Everyone who contributes to reconstruction of Ukraine receives a gift — a woven doll (an angel of freedom). National motanka-dolls became a genuine symbol of peace and kindness. Activists of the Angels of Freedom public foundation are sure: even the smallest help in a big country revival is a huge contribution.”

“The Angels of Freedom fund, founded in Kazakhstan, is raising funds to equip bomb shelters in Ukrainian schools. We tell you how a traditional Slavic doll helps protect children from shelling and bombing.”

“In order for the children of Ukraine to be able to safely go to school, destroyed educational institutions need to be restored and also equipped with safe shelters. This is what the Angels of Freedom do.”

“We talked with the founders of the foundation, Iryna Semenchuk and Yevgeniy Ribalko, about the work of the foundation, volunteering, and how Kazakhstanis can support Ukrainians in their difficult struggle.”

“In Chernihiv, schools and kindergartens were damaged by explosions. They need to be restored, but it is equally important to convert the basements into bomb shelters so that children can wait out air raids under normal conditions. The Angels of Freedom public foundation not only collects donations for this good cause, but also gives in gratitude amulets, motanka dolls made by the hands of volunteers at cleanup events in different cities of Kazakhstan.”