A few months ago, our member Jozef was contacted via social media by Вовчик Колийм from the village of Shevchenkovo ​​in the Kharkiv region.

When the village of Shevchenkovo ​​was occupied by Russian troops in February, Вовчик made every effort to help people survive these difficult times. He became a worker, a volunteer, a psychologist for children… He began his volunteer practice back in 2014, when the first conflicts began. When it was necessary to demonstrate skills and courage, he never stood aside, but helped people overcome their grief.

In March, he managed to get to Kharkov, where he diligently supported his compatriots, found the necessary humanitarian aid there and sent it through the Pechenegs dam. It was a very difficult six months under the occupation of Russian troops, but the hope for liberation never faded. Now he is working on the restoration of the village, collecting necessary things for the defenders of his homeland, and raising children in the Shevchenkovo ​​community.

The Alfa sports club has been operating in Shevchenkove for more than a year. Vovchik, as a former resident of an orphanage, understands very well that children need attention and support, especially in such difficult times. More than 1,500 children live in his area, and families from the displaced areas of the Kharkiv region also come here. He was not afraid of the burden of responsibility and took risks, because above all he loves children and wants to help them as best he can. Local children come to forget about the horrors of war, learn to play football, communicate with friends, develop motor skills, relax and have fun. With the support of their parents, who also took risks, but wanted their children to spend more time among friends, his team gradually grew. Today we have more than 65 children of different ages not only from Shevchenkove, but also from the surrounding area.

During this time, the children have learned to play football professionally. Vovchik constantly finds various opportunities, even though he is a group 2 disabled person and his disability pension is only less than 2000 hryvnias per month – a social pension. Nevertheless, he invests in the hopes of these children so that they can go to various competitions, such as inter-village football matches, district and regional competitions. The children train and play like real athletes at the Metalist stadium, even abroad.

In order to continue this activity, he needs our support. The children need training balls, football jerseys, shoes, and now also warm winter sportswear, since the school where they train was badly hit and the windows in the gym are only temporarily boarded up. They also need clothes for different seasons and training equipment.

Despite his health problems, Vovchik has big plans for the „Alfa“ club, which he built during the full-fledged Russian aggression against Ukraine. Now, this winter, he plans to play other sports with the children, such as table tennis, checkers, and board games. He tries to be not only a coach, a mentor, but also a friend to the children during these difficult times.

„We chose this village of Shevchenkovo ​​precisely because of the story of Mr. Kolym, who works tirelessly to restore his native village, despite his health problems. Since it is a frontline area and the road to them is extremely difficult along minefields, unfortunately not much help from outside reaches them, but we volunteers from the Path of Hope of Life plan to continue helping these brave residents of Shevchenkovo ​​in the future“.

Glory to Ukraine, Glory to Democracy, Jozef Šalamom from the Path of Hope of Life.