“We sing, we cook, and we make nets” – this is how Tamila Keleberdenko, a resident of the village of Vodotyi in the Zhytomyr region, briefly but comprehensively describes her new daily routine. The village volunteer centre is bustling with activity: people are making varenyky, baking gingerbread cookies, giving concerts and making camouflage nets. Most importantly, every day they put their hearts and souls into helping those on the front lines.

“We work hard every day. We have no other choice,” she says. The volunteer centre has been operating for over two years. And although their strength sometimes runs out, this inner need to be useful does not disappear. Her dream is simple: “For there to be joy, for there to be peace, for the children to grow up. For there to never be such grief again.”