Lesia Shvartsberg had come a long way. She moved to the United States ten years ago as a working travel student, aiming to create a better future for herself. Now, Lesia is close to obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology. Thanks to her hard work and the support of her family, the road Lesia was paving progressed steadily – until the far-reaching plumes of war seemed to blot everything out. Suddenly, her family, friends, birthplace, and heritage were in the line of fire.
On February 24, Lesia was preparing to sleep before coming across the shocking news that Russia had finally escalated a conflict that resulted in its invasion of Ukraine. Futilely, she could do nothing but look at the news and see the streets she walked down as a child reduced to rubble. However, what truly scared Lesia was what would become of her relatives and the people living in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson: the shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and nice elderly folks who gave people treats. Thankfully, her relatives had made it out well and escaped to western Ukraine, where her family resided.
Lesia knew they were the lucky ones and that many, many families out there had it much worse! After seeing how closely her relatives escaped this great danger, she took action and organized a process for gathering and sending aid packages to Ukraine. Lesia, her husband, brother, and other relatives pooled together their money and efforts so that they could order goods as needed. Accordingly, Lesia was responsible for ordering first aid kits, drones, and other critical safety gear and tools. In fact, Lesia’s team (her family and friends!) personally flew back and forth from Chicago to the Polish border of Ukraine for the first few months of the conflict, in order to deliver their relief packages directly to Ukraine. It was a whirlwind of activity that albeit stressful, was extremely gratifying!
After becoming experienced with the delivery effort herself, Lesia began to realize how unorganized and inappropriately handled monetary donations were in some organizations. Many people were enthusiastic to contribute, but unfortunately, their donations were often rendered useless since they didn’t understand what they were donating for. Particularly, Lesia heavily emphasized to us the importance of knowing where one’s money is going, rather than simply donating in the name of good, since money sent to Ukraine may not be used properly. For example, Lesia had family friends fighting on the most eventful and dangerous lines in Ukraine. They directly informed her team exactly what they needed each time Lesia contacted them. Reputable organizations who have direct contact with the soldiers in need, such as the Bandera Foundation , guarantee the effectiveness of one’s donation.
Lesia mentioned how disheartening it was to see so many media outlets – podcasts, newspapers, radios, and social media sources – lose interest in the war after the first few months. She says it’s almost like the world just forgot about the war except for the few that genuinely care. The war is definitely still going on and as supplies get low, foreign aid becomes all the more important! As a final word, Lesia wished to impart some hard-earned advice for our readers: know that your aid (in any form) matters, but also make sure to properly utilize that eagerness to donate to reputable and promising organizations. Any and all aid is heartwarming, but only becomes effective if one knows where their aid is going!