Ukrainian coordinator Olga Zakharkiv: I was most affected by my neighbor’s death
What were your first feelings?
My first feeling was great fear. A fear I have never experienced before.
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You will enjoy 13 years in the Czech Republic. What made you go to the metropolis?
I married my neighbor. Before that, he lived and did business in the Czech Republic for a few years. So my love forced me to move to Prague.
What kind of job have you tried here?
My first job was housekeeping. I also did a hotel room, a restaurant assistant, an office assistant, a receptionist, a clerk, a social worker, a financial advisor…
When you got to Prague 10 as a humanitarian aid coordinator…
Yes. In the first days of the war, I tried to be as useful as possible for Ukraine. I worked as a volunteer in the humanitarian staff at the House of National Minorities. Then I responded to an ad I found on Facebook. The Deputy Mayor of Prague 10, David Kašpar, asked for volunteers and interpreters at the town hall. So I signed up.
I received information that you had helped a soldier in Ukraine collect 400,000 crowns in ten days for a car he desperately needed. How did he get in touch with you?
Well, I asked him about that too. About a month after the start of the war, an unknown gentleman from Ukraine called me and asked if I was a volunteer. At that moment, I did not yet know who it was, where it came from and what it needed. But I replied, “Yes, I’m a volunteer, I’ll be happy to help you. What exactly do you need?” The man said he was a soldier fighting in the city of Mykolaiv in Ukraine. I paused for the first time. “Please, we really need a big 4×4 pickup car, the gun is heavy, we don’t have the strength to carry it anymore,” said the master. He got in touch with someone who brought them humanitarian aid. I really wanted to fulfill my wishes, but I was still thinking about where to get such money for a car that costs over a quarter of a million crowns.
A call from a soldier from Ukraine
Where did you finally get the finances?
I started calling all acquaintances and friends and telling them the conversation with the soldier. In addition, I had the idea to stand in front of the church of St. Klimenta, where the Ukrainian people go to the liturgy. In one day I counted 130 thousand crowns in a box! My family, acquaintances and friends also sent me money. In ten days I had 396 thousand crowns. With this money, my husband and I bought a big Nissan car and 15 bulletproof vests, warm socks, pâtés and medicines of various kinds. In this way, we have fulfilled the wishes of our soldiers from Ukraine.
Volunteers provided refugees with housing and work. Now he is trying to integrate
What are you dealing with with people from Ukraine in your new job at the office?
I interpret, translate, solve Czech language courses, cooperate with non-profit organizations that offer various help. And most importantly, I try to pass on the right information from all state authorities to refugees so that they can integrate as best they can.
Did people who did not have documents come to you?
Yes. The moment a person flees home, he does not think about whether he has all the documents. He only takes what he has on hand. These are very challenging situations, which they have been dealing with for a long time through the embassy, the Ministry of the Interior and other state bodies.
You have helped hundreds of Ukrainians since the beginning of the war. But what story specifically struck you the most?
The death of my neighbor Vitaly Skakun. He was a Ukrainian Marine and war hero who, with his heroic deed, helped save the Ukrainian city of Kherson. At the cost of his own life, my neighbor blew up the bridge, which was the only access point to the city.
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Do you still have relatives in Ukraine?
Yes, parents. They want to stay in their town and protect their home.
Do you believe it will prevent him?
We are a very strong and state nation. The truth and the whole world are with us. I am sure that Ukraine will win!