Illustration: #AnnaIvanenko
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Is it possible to collect one million hryvnas to help the army if you walk 540 kilometers from Kyiv to Zaporizhzhia? During the first five days of such a trip, Zhenia, a waiter, managed to get a third of this amount, so there are chances.
Before that, Zhenia didn’t go on long hikes and generally didn’t travel in Ukraine. However, with the beginning of the full-scale war, he began to think about how to fundraise a large amount of money for the needs of the Armed Forces and volunteers. So he decided to achieve two goals at once: to help the army and to see Ukraine.
The guy prepared for the charity hike in a hurry: he took a quick food preparation system, three pairs of socks and three underpants, two bottles of water, a spare pair of shoes, a tent, a sleeping bag, dishes, some food and poles for Nordic walking. Walking a lot and overcoming weaknesses is difficult, but Zhenia walks 25—30 kilometers daily. He spends the night in a tent or looking for a hotel, and also stays with friends in cities on the way. He shares his journey on Instagram, answers the questions of his followers and asks them to send comments if they liked his answer. Someone sends 200 dollars and 0,5 hryvnias, and Zhenia says that all donations are valuable.
The guy plans to give part of the funds received to local initiatives: one of his friends became a paramedic and saves the wounded at the front; another friend takes care of an intelligent group; Zhenia also has friends repairing destroyed villages in Chernihiv Oblast.
During the charity campaign, the activist is inspired by the people he meets on his way through Ukraine. And also the final goal is to drink tea on Khortytsia Island, the final point of Zhenia's route.