April 2024: new activities in the B50

The second month of spring was rich for B50 volunteers with warm days, heavy rains and various events, including parties. Read more about them below.

As always, activists from the Clean Up! project helped to eliminate the consequences of the hostilities in Moshchun. In April, they managed to work at three locations.

Volunteers from the Reconstruction and Shelters projects have completed the transformation of the Zavorychi Gymnasium bomb shelter, which they have been working on since December 2023! Over the years, 36 volunteers have joined this project, making 47 trips to Zavorychi, where they worked for about 1300 hours. You can see how the transformation went and how beautiful the shelter is now here.

After completing such a large-scale project, the volunteers decided to start a new tradition and for the first time organized a small party for visitors to Zavotychi Gymnasium. Many activities were prepared for the children: quests, face painting, biscuit decorating, making postcards for our defenders, as well as healthy and tasty gifts.

The first experience of organizing a children’s party in a transformed shelter was successful, gave a lot of pleasant emotions to the gymnasium students and was definitely remembered by the B50 volunteers. So we will definitely repeat this event!

In addition to the children’s party, B50 activists organized a symbolic closing of the project for themselves in Zavorychi (they deserved it!). The program of the volunteer mini-event included planting trees, setting up stands for children’s drawings, receiving gratitude, a photo shoot, and lots of friendly communication and laughter.

April was also successful for our media projects.

For example, “Stronger than bricks” was exhibited in Sumy (in two locations!) and Kherson. The exhibition in Sumy has already ended, and the exhibition in Kherson is still ongoing at the library-branch No. 3 of the Kherson Centralized Library System (76-a Robocha St.). So, welcome!

In April, “Chronicles of the Unknown Superheroes Ukrainians” was exhibited in Hamburg (at the previous location – the St. Nicholas Memorial) and Geneva, where it became part of the program of the Photo Genève Festival 2024, which took place at Webster Geneva Campus from April 26 to 28.

After the festival, the B50 Exhibition for Webster Community will move to the university’s photography club gallery and will be open to the public until May 3.

The exhibition will last for 3 more days in Geneva and 2 more months in Hamburg. We invite you to visit!

In April, a historic event took place for the B50 community – our history became part of the funds of the Museum of History of Ukraine!

Currently, the Museum staff is collecting materials related to the full-scale invasion, in particular, collecting materials related to the volunteer movement in Ukraine. In an effort to add items to the collection that would highlight the topic of helping civilians affected by russian aggression, the Museum asked the B50 organization to provide several items that could be preserved in the collection as artifacts of the modern volunteer movement.

Of course, we responded to this request. So, the museum received a branded merchandise T-shirt with the inscription “I’M VOLUNTEER B50”, a reflective vest with the community logo (which went to the funds directly from the location!), acknowledgements received during our activities, stickers and information flyers that we use in our projects, as well as photographs highlighting the activities of the B50 community.

Also in April, we received good news from abroad: the participants of the 15 für UA project, who recorded a cover of the song “Обійми” by Okean Elzy, donated funds raised specifically for the B50 community. These funds will be used for the activities of our organization and will be used to restore communities that have been destroyed by russian aggression. We thank our German friends for their concern and support!

In April, we had the opportunity to learn more about our active volunteer Yanina Kobets thanks to her #B50heroes media project.

And, of course, this month the B50 community celebrated its second anniversary! Being able to celebrate this date means that we, like the rest of the country, have not given up during these two extremely difficult years. We continue to help those in need to be where they need us. B50 is adapting and looking for ways to develop the organization, and we accept the challenges that come our way. We thank everyone who has been and is part of the B50 community!

April was a very busy and interesting month, and we hope that in May we won’t be bored either!