Media About Us
- 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.
- “February 24, 2024 marks two years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which the UN cautiously calls a ‘Russian-Ukrainian military conflict’ and the Kremlin calls a ‘special military operation.’ This war, in addition to claiming many lives, changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people forever. This left its mark not only in Ukraine and Russia, but also in Kazakhstan. Orda.kz tells the story of Kazakhstanis, for whom helping civilians in Ukraine has become a matter of honor. This war, in addition to claiming many lives, changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people forever.”
- “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.”
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“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.”
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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.
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“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.”
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“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.”
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“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.”
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“In Kazakhstan there’s a tradition of mutual support — Asar, in Ukraine it’s called Toloka. The Angels of Freedom foundation is making tolokas in Astana, Almaty and other cities of Kazakhstan. Toloka is an event where volunteers make motanka dolls, which are given for donations at offline and online markets. Collected funds are used to help Ukrainian children, precisely for schools’ and kindergartens’ basements arrangement and equipment in Chernihiv. Children go down to basements during air alert.”
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The idea to tell the story of the Crimean Tatars’ forced self-deportation came from the Kazakh journalist Ainur Koskina during one of the “Angels of Freedom” tolokas.
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“‘Now children will be able to breathe normally: Kazakhstan volunteers have equipped shelters in two more kindergartens in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.”
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“The charitable foundation reported that following the results of the run, three residents of the West Kazakhstan region came second at distances of one and five kilometers. David and Anushavan ran together. They covered one kilometer in six minutes and 15 seconds. Aktobe resident Maxim ran five kilometers in 24 minutes and 7 seconds. Among the participants there were children, namely three young residents of Atyrau.”
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“On August 27, the ‘Vyshyvanka’ run starts for amateur and professional athletes. Wearing Ukrainian vyshyvankas, they must overcome the chosen one of the three proposed distances.”
“The donations raised for participation will be used to equip bomb shelters in schools in Ukraine.”
- “The renovation of school’s No. 6 shelter in Chernihiv is completed with the help of Belgian monks and volunteers from Kazakhstan. In early April school has started working offline on the daily basis.”
- “A Belgian monk, volunteers from Kazakhstan and Ukrainian refugees: all these people helped equipping a shelter in Chernihiv school No. 6. After more than a year time off, primary school pupils were able to sit at their desks again because of this help
The shelter was re-equipped from a basement by Angels of Freedom charity project.” - “On April 7–8 schoolchildren and students developed a digital tool to collect donations for the Angels of Freedom foundation at the International Technopark Astana Hub.”
- “September 1 for Ukrainian children is April 3 — schools opened their doors for the first time this academic year and launched offline learning. The Kazakhstan charity project ‘Angels of Freedom’ was engaged in equipping the bomb shelters.”
- “On 3 April 2023, two schools in Chernihiv for which the bomb shelters have been equipped by the Kazakhstani charity project Angels of Freedom, opened their doors for the first time in this school years and started the offline lessons.”
- “The charity project Angels of Freedom came to life in early June 2023 and now focuses on schools destroyed during the war.”
“To raise funds necessary for reconstruction of destroyed schools, the project’s founders decided to organize ‘tolokas’ which are a traditional form of mutual aid in Ukrainian communities.” - “The staff of the US Embassy in Kazakhstan joined the charity toloka to make angels.”
- “Kazakhstanis are also involved in creative projects — like making ‘angels of freedom’ — little amulets. The funds raised from the amulets’ sales are used for restoration of Ukrainian schools.”
- “Kazakhstani volunteers help the school No. 6 in Chernihiv in the North of Ukraine, which was bombed in March last year.”
- “The Kazakhstanis joined an international charity action which traditionally takes place on the Ukraine’s Independence Day. This time, the Kazakhstanis have combined participation in the run with charity purpose to help Ukrainians who suffered from the war.”
- “The Kazakstani volunteers aim to restore one of the schools in Chernihiv from the Kazakhstani people. The funds are raised through the Angels of Freedom, the world-wide project to which the Kazakhstani people decided to join. Caring volunteers and children get together twice a week to make little hand-made souvenirs.”
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