Illustration: #SophiaRunova
//
The city of Mykolaiv (located in the south of Ukraine) suffers daily from Russian shelling, which is constantly intensifying and taking the lives of many people. Volunteers are doing their best under these conditions to provide residents and the army with everything they need: food, medicines, hygiene items, equipment, and valuable entertainment. Since February 24, about 100 people gathered in the NIKO volunteer organization in Mykolaiv to actively assists the city.
Volunteers began to act under different circumstances. Doctor Marichka settled in Mykolaiv in 2014 after her native Donetsk was occupied by pro-Russian militants. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Oleksiy, Marichka's husband, went to defend his native land. This was the last time Marichka saw him. On March 8, she was informed about the death of Oleksiy near Okhtyrka in Sumy Oblast. Marichka and her friend organized the medical department at NIKO the next day. It was her way of coping with the pain of losing a loved one.
Currently, NIKO helps hospitals and maternity homes with medicines and medical equipment, and provides the military with high-quality first-aid kits. Other areas of work include the purchase of military ammunition, the unloading and distribution of humanitarian aid, providing residents with food packets, caring for people with disabilities, and even organizing charity film screenings. After all, people seek to distract themselves from the horrors of war even in hot spots.