Boyarka Community Foundation, Ukraine
“We have already forgotten what illuminated streets are. It is scary and sad to walk home after work in complete, terrible, impenetrable darkness, where there is also no light…the darkness has entered our lives and weighs on us with an indescribable burden.” These words were penned in December 2022 by Maria Kyrylenko, Deputy Chair of the Boyarka Community Foundation, in a letter to foreign supporters of the foundation. The letter provides a vivid and moving account of the realities of working in wartime. It describes the missiles and drones that fly over Boyarka, which is located 20km from Kyiv. It details the every-day challenges of working and living in a place where the power supply is unpredictable. It speaks about the anxiety, stress and fear of Boyarka residents, who worry about their own safety, and the fates of soldiers on the frontlines of the war.
To support its community through the difficult times, in 2023 the Boyarka Community Foundation launched the “Phoenix” programme. The GFCF supported this with a grant in February 2023. Phoenix focused on the psychological rehabilitation of people living in Boyarka – both longer-term residents and internally displaced people (IDPs). This involved the organization of regular rehabilitation courses run by psychologists and social workers.
The courses combined direct one-on-one and group therapy sessions with “softer” activities such as creative workshops, art therapy, nature excursions, etc. Phoenix also had a cultural component: to boost community morale, the foundation organized a series of cultural and educational events. These were significant for many in Boyarka who view culture, identity and belonging as a source of social well-being.
In parallel, the Boyarka Community Foundation launched a small grants programme focusing on psychological recovery. It encouraged different local groups to come together to develop proposals, and invited community members to participate in the selection and evaluation of grants. This was to ensure that efforts around rehabilitation and recovery were driven by community members and their priorities. 14 local initiatives were funded, including tailored support programmes for the wives of fallen soldiers, horseback riding lessons for children from vulnerable families, a photo exhibition celebrating the community of Boyarka, etc. One grant recipient commented: “The contest gives you the opportunity to act on your own, and not wait for someone else to do it for you.” Despite the challenging economic situation in Ukraine, US $1,700 was raised from local individuals to support the grants programme. An additional US $1,150 was raised from Ukrainians abroad.
In March 2024, the GFCF made a follow-up grant to the foundation to continue this work. Their 2024 programme “Happy Days” specifically addressed the mental health challenges facing children and adolescents in Boyarka. For, as Maria Kyrylenko concluded her December 2022 letter: “We are cheerful, energetic and work much harder than before the war. We cannot afford to be weak, because our job is to help others. We hold on because we know that there are many who have had a much harder time.”
Since 2022, the GFCF has made three grants to the Boyarka Community Foundation, totaling US $59,425.