Volunteerism in Ukraine

“Ukrainians have always cared for the old and the feeble, for widows and orphans. The strong helped the weak. Large matters were taken care of together. Consideration and fondness between people inspired delight in travellers that came from far away countries.” (Adriana Ohorchak. Charity in Galicia. Activities of community groups. Opinion of journalists. – Kyiv, 1998, p. 50-53).

Constantine Ostrozky – Kyivan military leader, prince using personal finances opened the first schools in the cities: of Turiv (in 1572), in Volodymyr-Volynskyi (in 1577), in Ostroh (in 1580), where both noble and peasant children were educated. A separate fund provided support for orphaned children.

Elizabeth Hurevych (Hal’shka Hulevychivna) was the wife of Marshal Stefan Lozka. When her hand was given in marriage in 1615, the Kyivan Brotherhood was established, and next to it a school. The school could be attended not only by children of nobility, but also those of the Cossacks and the bourgeoisie. In 1632 it was combined with the Lavra school of Petro Mohyla, resulting in the Kyiv-Mohyla college.

Petro Sahaydachnyy and Ivan Mazepa were Hetmans of Ukraine. From 1615-1622 they provided the Kyiv Brotherhood schools with great material support. They were officially recognized as guardians and trustees of the institution. Using charitable funds, a new larger campus for the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy was acquired in 1702.

In 1898, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, a recognized Ukrainian historian, used personal funds to found a school in Kyiv where children could learn their national Ukrainian language.

With its historically-rooted traditions in the common good, mutual aid and a communal structure of life, the former USSR accepted voluntary work as a natural phenomenon that did not need additional reasoning. The ideology of the Soviet period elevated good will to the status of societal obligations or honorary duties (for example, taking part in communist Saturday activities). Through this, the spiritual sense of volunteerism was changed.

Afterwards, the true meaning of volunteerism in the widespread consciousness did not change all that quickly. When the Soviet system changed, a new stage of Ukrainian development occurred, and a pragmatic position prevailed: today what does not bring financial benefit is not considered prestigious. Today volunteers work to gain necessary experience, habits, knowledge and/or personal contacts. In many cases volunteerism is a direct path to a career.

After Independence in 1991, Ukraine as a sovereign country was provided with opportunities to establish itself among the developed countries of the world. Currently, society in Ukraine is changing, and the fundamentals of freedom, creativity and humanism should remain at its base.

Formal government structures are not able to respond to all societal needs, which is why much emphasis is put on community action. The appearance of over 20,000 non-governmental organizations is a testament to the volunteer movement which, despite many obstacles, continues to thrive. However, only a small portion of these organizations work with volunteers.

It is worthy to note, that not only community organizations, but also governmental bodies are striving to develop the volunteer movement in Ukraine. This is seen through the activities of social services for youth, where professional social workers work alongside voluntary helpers. Volunteer services through youth-orientated social work centres have gradually become one facet of society’s politically active youth.

We can therefore confirm that the demand for volunteer work is growing every year. Many organizations have appeared in Ukraine that deal with the inclusion and education of volunteers, while others specialize in the development of volunteerism.