Participant of the regional contest "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the nomination "A Heart Given to Donetsk Region" Anastasiia Shcherbakova
My story began in July 2022. Before that, we lived a peaceful life in Kurakhove, working and raising our child. Everything changed on February 24. Due to the explosions and danger, we decided to move to my parents' home in the village of Bahatyr, where we thought it would be safer.
Just 12 kilometers away, fighting was already taking place. I learned from acquaintances that in the village of Velyka Novosilka, children and their parents were hiding in a shelter. There was no communication with the village, so I felt I had to go there to find out what they needed. Gathering our courage, we went. It was not difficult to find the people, as they were sticking together. It was heartbreaking to see: small, scared children who would scream and run for cover with every explosion. We wrote down all their needs.
On July 17, 2022, I arrived for the first time with the aid they had requested, as well as sweets and clothes for the little ones. That’s how it all started. I began collecting food, water, clothing, bandages, and medicine, and I drove there twice a week.
Later, the locals showed me a house where a woman had been hit by a hot shrapnel from a shell. When I went there to help, I realized that I was not a doctor and didn’t know much. I provided assistance as best I could with the knowledge I had, but immediately and without hesitation, I submitted my documents to attend first-aid medical training. Within a month, I completed two of these courses.
As the weather grew colder, people’s needs increased. I went to Velyka Novosilka more and more often. In addition to those in the shelter, there were people who refused to leave their homes. The need grew not only for medicine but also for medical assistance. Another village was added to my route, where seven people were almost under occupation. Despite my fear, we went there until the very end, until the road was cut off and communication was lost.
In late 2024, I left my native village and moved to the city of Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region. I now work as a pharmacist, but I continue to help internally displaced people by reaching out to various charitable foundations and organizations, assisting with document restoration, finding temporary shelter, and obtaining other aid.
For me, volunteering is a calling. It’s about genuine actions and the humanity that saves lives.