By Anna Konovalenko

Photo by Nadia Danylova and Bohdan Kramar

In ten days, Ukrainians will meet the 600th day of the Russia-Ukrainian war. While Ukraine is undoubtedly relying on other countries with weapons supplies and humanitarian aid, local charities are also raising donations for assistance in the war.

One of those charities is Shevchenko.philia based in Edinburgh. Nadia Danilova and Bohdan Kramar are two students keen to make a change. They started Shevchenko.philia in spring 2023. To date, they have succeded in turning it into a self-sponsored five-member crew who are working restlessly to raise costs for Ukraine.

Nadia Danylova, 24, photographer/filmmaker and co-founder of Shevchenko.philia commented:

“The methods we use to raise these funds are not important to us because our main priority is to assist. At the moment, we use both events and also sell patriotic merchandise to accumulate funds.”

“We are currently raising funds for a centre that specializes in rehabilitation and prosthetic needs, this includes many veterans who have lost their limbs or organs, such as legs, arms, and eyes.”

“Currently, we do not receive any support from the government. Of course, we would like to have it as soon as possible because it’s crucial. We have significant needs that, with government assistance, could be addressed much more quickly, allowing us to operate at a pace that aligns with our Ukrainian initiatives.”

Unfortunately, many people barely knew anything about Ukraine before the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Over the course of the past year and a half, media representation of Ukraine has primarily revolved around the context of war. Nadia and Bohdan are determined to change it.

Shevchenko.philia coordinates various venues and aims to show the world, specifically Scotland, how diverse and progressive Ukraine is. Their most recent event on September 12, 2023, featured a Ukrainian comedian performing stand-up, and it successfully raised £5,311.

Bohdan Kramar, 19, student and cofounder of Shevchenko.philia commented:

“The main goal of Shevchenko.philia is to unite Ukrainians in the UK because there are a lot of refugees from Ukraine. The second one is to spread Ukrainian culture, to talk about Ukrainian poetry, to share Ukrainian music, to talk about art, to talk about what’s going on in Ukraine”

“I feel responsible for those people who are sacrificing everything to win and I don’t want those people to think they are alone. We are abroad but we are still fighting.”

“Now, the main thing is to win this war. After the war stops, we will continue organising events, continue raising money for Ukraine, spreading Ukrainian culture and doing as much as we can”

Photo by Bohdan Kramar