A Pain That Will Never Fade, Even With Time
For some reason, heaven takes away those who are most precious. Why does heaven take away the people closest to us — those whom we loved, valued, and did everything possible to help live a happy life?
They were the most precious and valuable people in our lives.
Yes, children! Our Ukrainian children, for whom we live and for whom our soldiers are willing to sacrifice their lives.
Every child dreams of rest, recovery, and rehabilitation after the terrible years of war and hopes to receive a gift or a personal laptop — for studying, completing school assignments, personal development, and staying connected with friends.
Any gift brings happiness and joy to a child. We invite everyone to join this shared initiative, and we will do everything possible to make children's dreams come true.
When you see a child's smile after everything they have endured, you realize that even a small gift can restore faith in kindness, provide support, and give a child the feeling that they are not left alone with their pain. This was emphasized by Mykola Kalashnyk, a Ukrainian public official and Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration (Kyiv Regional Military Administration), during a visit to one of the internally displaced persons (IDP) families.
Overall, 1,850 children have become full orphans during the war, having lost both parents. Today, 64 orphaned children who lost their parents as a result of the war are living in the Kyiv region. Each of these children has a difficult story, their own pain, and their own dreams. In addition, more than 4,000 children have been adopted in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war.
We understand that no amount of money can replace a family. However, we must do everything possible to ensure that these children feel the support of their community and society and, most importantly, know that they are not alone in their grief.
We invite businesses, philanthropists, non-governmental organizations, and all caring individuals to join this effort. Sometimes a fulfilled childhood dream becomes the beginning of a lasting friendship, mentorship, and support that continues for many years.
We also want these children to have people by their side who will help them believe in themselves, find their path, and feel that they matter.
Let us make children's dreams come true together, because every child deserves not only our support but also a happy future.
I have stopped believing in beautiful words and instead look at actions. This is how I raise my daughter, and how I raised my son, who has been defending Ukraine and protecting our land from the enemy for the second year.
Today, I ask only that people stop dying, and that we remember one thing: a person who disappears from your life during difficult times has already revealed who they truly are.
These inhumane individuals, who neither love nor respect the people of Ukraine, still demand payment for their actions and communication efforts, even charging for a simple meeting during wartime. They do not think about the children and soldiers who have lost their lives, or the ordinary people who once lived peacefully in their homes without knowing such tragedy.
Who should hold them accountable?
Who should punish them?
The time will come when patriots, sons and daughters, soldiers and officers, generals and ordinary citizens will demand answers.
“Ukraine is following the requirements of the European Union, but implementing reforms during wartime is challenging. The country is currently moving toward full transparency. Not everything can be done quickly or perfectly, but we are striving to achieve it together,” noted Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
We do not cooperate with traitors or dishonest, selfish, malicious, and unethical people.
Personally, as well as our organization and GCU partners, we deeply appreciate communicating with and witnessing the concrete actions of patriots from Slavutych, Zhytomyr, the Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions, Kyiv region, Zakarpattia, Lviv region, and many other towns and villages that continue to do everything possible to support victory and help vulnerable people and military families.
The consolidation of efforts among our new partner organizations and foundations, with whom we have signed preliminary cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding, creates a solid foundation for the implementation of systematic and long-term social projects in Ukraine. The proposed initiatives represent only the initial stage of building joint activities, which can be expanded through new opportunities and partnerships. The next step will be to further define areas of cooperation and gradually implement the identified projects with a long-term perspective.
Together, we can overcome these difficult times.
We believe in development, reconstruction, and moving forward together toward peace.
With respect to our partners, friends, and all honest and grateful people.
We sincerely thank our colleagues and international partners for their solidarity, for not waiting for better times, and for standing with us.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Sincerely,
Yuriy Sapiga and the GCU Team
