Maximum efficiency and positivity at the volunteer camp B50.

Recently, activists from Clean Up! worked in a new format of a volunteer camp: they spent two days dismantling a destroyed house and spent the night in open-air tents in the village of Potashnia, Bucha district. Below, we tell you about this interesting experience and encourage everyone to support the activities of the B50 Community with donations.

Potashnia village is a small village in the Kyiv region whose population before the war barely exceeded 200 people. As a result of enemy shelling, 136 buildings out of 430 existing ones were damaged, 113 of them were completely destroyed or heavily damaged. According to preliminary estimates by Rebuildua and the Kyiv School of Economics, the total direct damage to the village’s buildings is about $4.9 million! This amount does not include all the losses to local businesses and damage to private property.

In Potashna, our volunteers helped a colleague, Mr. Valerii, whose family home was destroyed by the russians. This house was built by the owner’s grandparents, and Mr. Valerii grew up here, dreaming of bringing the house to perfect condition and giving it to his daughter and son-in-law. But… Neither the house (completely destroyed) nor the son-in-law (he died at the war front six months ago) is there anymore.

The B50 activists decided to try the format of a volunteer camp to improve logistics (no travel to/from the location, expand the geography of assistance to visit settlements more remote from Kyiv, save on fuel), diversify the “Moshchun weekend”, and combine business with pleasure – outdoor recreation with work at the facility.

We believe that everything we planned was 100% successful: the destruction has been cleaned up (everything has been dismantled, disassembled, and taken out of the yard), and the volunteers are satisfied with the results of the two working days and the time spent in nature.

The participants of the B50 volunteer camp in Potashnia share their impressions of the camp.

Anastasiia Baranova, coordinator of the B50 camp in Potashnia:

The key to coordinating such an event is not to forget anything, because later you will have a headache wondering where to get it. Therefore, a well-formed list of needs is the basis for success.

This is something completely different from just going to Moshchun; we seemed to become closer during this time. We had more time to talk, to listen, and to laugh. I was very lucky with the people who were on the team; they are proactive, easy-going, and sincere.

Oleksii Bazilieiev, a volunteer at the B50 camp in Potashnia:

The format is super, it was necessary to introduce it long ago. We definitely need to continue such trips. You need to think about a program for the evening.

Yanina Kobets, a volunteer at the B50 camp in Potashnia:

Of course, I loved it. I love camping, I love the B50, and when we managed to combine them, it was just WOW! The advantages of the format are obvious: the work is done from start to finish, there is no feeling of incompleteness. The whole team sees the results of their work. Despite the physical fatigue on the second day, the format is cool and productive. We need to do such trips from time to time.

Yevhen Stoianov, a volunteer at the B50 camp in Potashnia:

The weekend was great, maybe because of the new format. Among the advantages: logistics (no need to travel back and forth); it brings the team together more (in work, in communications); we will be better known in other regions. I think that we need to go out again, before the cold weather.

Olena Petrenko, a volunteer at the B50 camp in Potashnia:

Making a camp is a great idea. You don’t have to travel to the location and back home, and then return again the next day. It’s quite convenient, especially if the road is not close. I also like the fact that we have started helping people not only who live close to Kyiv. I will gladly join this format again.

Oleksandr Tishura, a volunteer at the B50 camp in Potashnia:

This trip was experimental, and I think the experiment was successful. The main goal of the trip was achieved: in two days, we completely completed the work at the location. The only drawback was the intense heat. And the bonus was spending the night in tents under the starry sky. It was romantic.