“Even when our communities are trying to erase the country from the map, we continue to live in our actions,” the NGO “Land of Free Communities” says.
Her journey began in the Ukrainian Selydivska community in Donetsk region, and today “free” voices can be heard in Bukovina, Chernihiv region, Transcarpathia, Dnipropetrovsk region, and Zaporizhia. The war took away space, but not the meaning – to be close to those who need it.
By 2022, the team was creating youth spaces, developing environmental initiatives, and supporting women in difficult life circumstances. The full-scale invasion forced a change in format, but not in values: from the first days, activists organized a volunteer center, evacuated people, helped displaced persons and military personnel. “We scattered across the country, but did not fall apart. Common values and the memory of home keep us together,” says the organization’s founder, Viktoriya Volska.
Today, “The Country of Free Community” is an active member of the 1325 Donetsk Coalition. The organization works to ensure that women have an equal voice in the reconstruction of the country, access to decision-making processes, and support in communities.
The team helps displaced persons, veterans, relatives of the deceased, and representatives of the LGBTIQ community. To do this, it organizes round tables, provides legal and psychological support, and creates spaces for dialogue. In partnership with the Coalition, it implements the tasks of the regional action plan for the implementation of the Resolution “Women, Peace, Security” – from the development of youth spaces in Bukovina and Chernihiv region to the initiative to form an inclusive youth council in Berehove.
Today, “The Land of Free Communities” seeks to strengthen the educational direction in combating gender-based and sexual violence related to the conflict. These are trainings, campaigns, educational materials. The team is also ready to participate in monitoring the implementation of the regional action plan so that the voice of frontline and occupied communities is heard at the regional level.
“We want to be the voice of those who are not heard. We are a support network, and each of our actions is a small change. We are like those fireflies that do not go out,” says Viktoriya Volska.
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