Helping people is my life
My name is Natalia and I am the head of the NGO Mercy Malovyskivshchyna. Together with other volunteers of the organization we help and support elderly people, adults. We also provide assistance to children, sick children, children with disabilities and help orphans. For two years, our team has been visiting our local boarding house. During this time, we got acquainted with these children and established friendly relations. We were very pleasantly surprised. They are open and sincere, each in a different way, but … Each of them has its own story, each of them has an already formed personality, they are adults not at their age. We visit them once a week, and we believe that everything we do for them (lessons, psychological support, various trainings, games) will change their lives for the better, and will be a preparation for entering adulthood.
Volunteering changed my life
I studied at the Lyceum of the Service Sphere, got a job as a cook. My life was like work&home. But after 10 years, everything started to change. I started helping volunteers. Another 5 years have passed and our team and I have created our own charitable foundation. But before that there was a very interesting story that changed my life forever. I have friends. It’s a family that consists of a husband, wife and three children. The man fell from the house from the 4th floor, received neck and chest fractures. At that time they lived in Cherkasy, rented an apartment. After such an injury, they returned to their homeland, to their own home. All friends and acquaintances supported them. After such an injury, Serhiy didn’t feel anything in his chest. He was constantly lying down, even raising his hand for him was an incredible pain.
We started visiting them. I was very worried about his psychological state, he just despaired, his wife after 7 months in hospital was also tired. Starting to search for information on the Internet, it turned out that he had to rehab facility, but since there were no funds, he didn’t pass it. Finding physical rehabilitation exercises, choosing them for him individually, we made a short schedule and started working. A week later he started to raise his arms on his own, and three weeks later he tried to get in a wheelchair, and he succeeded. In fact, the first time it wasn’t so long, about 1 minute, but it was a very big progress. And I understood that in life there are people who support, regardless of the situation, it is really motivating. And then I realized that helping people, children, orphans is my vocation.
What volunteering is for me
Opportunity to help change other people’s lives for the better.
When you support a person in a difficult period of his life, go through all the obstacles with him, it brings you joy. It is an opportunity to give your love to others.
