Participant of the Regional Competition "Young Person of the Year – 2025" in the Nomination "Rescuer of the Year" Oleksandr Havrylchuk
My name is Oleksandr Havrylchuk, and I have been a volunteer with the Myrnohrad City Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society since July 2023. Almost immediately after joining the organization, I expressed a desire to join the rapid response team, a decision that was supported by the organization's leadership. After completing first aid training, I began going on missions to distribute humanitarian aid to civilians remaining in active combat zones.
From September 2023, I served as Deputy Commander of the rapid response team, and from November 2023 to March 2024, I held the position of Commander of the Myrnohrad unit of the rapid response team. During our missions, we had only one vehicle, which we used to travel to settlements experiencing a humanitarian crisis, including Orlivka, Berdychi, and Umanske. We delivered food kits, hygiene products, sleeping sets, and much more to the local residents.
Later, after the start of missile attacks in our district, we began actively responding to emergencies. We collaborated with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, helping both the local population and the rescuers. We organized heating points, provided hot drinks, participated in clearing rubble, gave first aid, and transported the injured to hospitals.
In 2024, our team received a second vehicle, which significantly improved the efficiency of our work. We began transporting people with limited mobility to hospitals for examinations and from medical facilities back home. Sometimes, in a single day, we would travel distances of up to 1,000 km, as the need for transportation was very high.
Currently, we are primarily engaged in the evacuation of the civilian population, particularly bedridden patients. Evacuations take place daily from Myrnohrad, Dobropillia, Bilozerky, and the villages of the Dobropillia and Pokrovsk districts. We continue our work as long as conditions permit. We work almost every day. Each evacuation is a separate story, a separate destiny. People arrive in tears, with a single bag or even with no belongings. And you realize that your work gives them not only a chance to survive but also hope.