International volunteer camp in the village of Moshchun near Kyiv
Feedback from camp leader Olga Pleshkanova
«It’s been quite some time since the completion of our project ‘Restore Moschun Together’, and despite its relatively short duration, I am convinced that for me and other volunteers, this camp will remain one of the most unique experiences.
It was an exceptionally rewarding project, despite the challenge of organizing it during the wartime. We took a risk to do it, believing we could succeed. However, what truly surprised us was the extent to which this project turned out to be empowering and rewarding.
Beyond the great progress made in the village of Moschun, the project also proved to be immensely fulfilling on a psychological level.
The work in the village was much more crucial than it seemed at first glance. Typically, we were divided into groups of 3-4 people and worked on specific tasks such as house restoration, helping to clean yards for those whose homes were affected by the consequences of the war, reconstructing children’s playgrounds, and more. The most valuable part for me, however, was interacting with the local residents. Quite often, a brief conversation seamlessly turned into a deep story about their experiences at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. I often reflect on how differently each of these people experienced the onset of the war and how distinctly each of them remembers those dreadful days, as well as how their lives have changed since then.
At the beginning of the camp, I was worried that conversations with local residents about their lives during the early months of the war might be painful for them. However, it turned out that they often initiated discussions themselves and shared their memories from February 2022. One woman even said that the opportunity to speak out was now more important for her than the work needed to be restored in her house.
It was a unique feeling to see ordinary people, mostly elderly, having their own unique stories that deserved to be heard and remembered. One story stood out to me in particular — the story of a woman whose yard we helped to restore and clean. Afterwards, she invited us into her home and, nearly crying, shared how her life had changed because of the war.
She shared her memories of her evacuation and how much she didn’t want to leave her home and village, hoping the war wouldn’t begin. While we were talking, her cat named Persyk (ukr. — ‘Peach’) joined our conversation. He miraculously returned after weeks of disappearing during the occupation and now never leaves her side literally following her everywhere.
We then went to work to her sister’s house, which was, unfortunately, completely destroyed…
She now lives in a mobile home provided by the volunteer organization.
There are many small houses like this one around the village. Some people live there already for more than a year…
Despite this, she remains thankful for being able to return to her village and at least start her life again, unlike some of her relatives who lost their lives…
It’s deeply painful to realize that this is just one of many dreadful stories that innocent people have experienced.
It is hard to imagine that these people, especially the elderly, who should be living their peaceful lives, but instead, they are striving to build new homes and new lives that were shattered by the war for no reason whatsoever.
The experience of this volunteer camp reminded me how important it is to value what we often take for granted. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a project aimed at helping those people who truly need it. We also show support to local people by proving through actions that peace and their lives truly matter and that people in other countries haven’t forgotten them — they’re not alone.
This profound goal drives all workcamps, and our Ukrainian workcamp achieved this it remarkably well.
On behalf of our organization, I also want to express gratitude to our international partner organizations — INEX, IBG Workcamps, Solidarités Jeunesses, and Volunteers for Peace — whose support enabled us to organize this volunteer camp.»
