On October 7, 2024, the Ukrainian School of Elites supported the initiatives of GoFriends NGO on the psychological and physical rehabilitation of veteran families, internally displaced persons, and vulnerable populations affected by Russia’s aggression.

The financial support was provided generously by the supporters’ community of the Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance, supervised the coalition’s Director Timo Plutchinski.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Yevhen Moiseyev, Founder of GoFriends IT Academy for orphans, evacuated the academy’s students and his family from Kyiv to Western Ukraine — first to the city of Stryi, where he initiated social care for the internally displaced people, and later to Morshyn, where he established an organized social center.

People who lost or left their homes, mostly coming from the occupied areas of the Eastern Ukraine, all actively set to work, and organized a farm in a village near Morshyn town that not only fed them but also supplied food to other social centers! That captured our attention and we decided to support that responsible and proactive community.

In 2024, GoFriends NGO created the environment for psychological rehabilitation of and mental care for the IDPs, Ukrainian veterans and their families, and others who suffered from the war. The Friends provide both emotional and physical healing. Those seeking spiritual support also have an opportunity to receive soul care.

Rehabilitation at the farm is enhanced by the natural setting: a few lakes, spacious meadows, and clean air — exactly what all psychologists recommend for healing.

Every month, 20—100 people undergo rehabilitation ministry of GoFriends.

In October 2024, thanks to our international friends at WEA BC, we were able to transfer a portion of financial aid to support these amazing efforts of GoFriends.

For more details on GoFriends NGO, see our blog here. What an honor to be part of these life saving initiatives!

Yevhen Moiseyev, Founder of GoFriends IT Academy, on GoFriends Farm near Morshyn, West Ukraine,
with the internally displaced people who lost their homes in the occupied regions of the country, and moved to Morshyn.
One of the training events at the GoFriends IT Academy for the IDPs and other young people who suffered from the war.

On October 24, 2024, the President of the Ukrainian School of Elites (USE), Yuriy Safonov, within the framework of a charitable project aimed at overcoming psychological trauma, donated 150 copies of the book “5 Steps to Eternity” by Canadian author Leanne Paetkau, for free use to representatives of community organizations in Cherkasy.

The coordinator in Cherkasy is Maxim Hryhorovych Sahaidak, pastor of the Church “House of the Father.”

Leanne Paetkau is a Canadian author and missionary who lived in Ukraine for 20 years. At one point in her life, she and her husband John faced tragedy when their daughter Lanea died during a skiing trip in the rocky peaks of Kockreyn.

To cope with the trauma of her loss, Leanne kept a diary of prayers and reflections, where she poured out her soul, emotions, and anger at God, struggling to understand why this happened. The endless “Why?” is familiar to anyone who has lost a loved one.

The book has been translated into Ukrainian and published in Ukraine with the efforts of patrons and the authors themselves for free distribution among those in need of support.

During the war, Ukrainians are losing their loved ones—military personnel, medics, volunteers, and civilians. Every Ukrainian family has felt the pain of loss.

Leanne Paetkau‘s book aims to support all those who know this pain.

Yuriy Safonov, the President of the Ukrainian School of Elites, voluntarily oversees this project, distributing the books to those categories of Ukrainians who need psychological support during this time.

On February 16, 2018, leaders of the NGO Ukrainian School of Elites — Anzhela Danelian and Olena Polkhovska — joined a charitable initiative to support children with special needs who required transportation to access the rehabilitation center.

Olena Polkhovska, Director of the NGO Ukrainian School of Elites (left), is pictured with Rivil Kofman, President of the Strong in Spirit International Charity Foundation (center), and Tetiana Kostenko, Director of the Kyiv Museum (right).

To believe in kindness, one must start by doing good! We are proud to announce that today, February 16, 2018, the keys to a bus for the Strong in Spirit Foundation were handed over!

This celebration was made possible thanks to the compassion and efforts of many individuals who took part in organizing and supporting two charity auctions, “Gift a Child a Fairy Tale.” The result is a newly purchased minibus that will enable children facing serious illnesses to reach the “Fairy Tale World” rehabilitation center on their own magical bus.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the organizers and all auction participants: the Kyiv Museum of History, Tetiana Kostenko, Anzhela Danelian, Olena Polkhovska, Varvara Sukhenko, Lesya Kornichenko, Rivil Kofman, Valentina Dzyganskaya, Svitlana Bondarenko, Irina Serbin, Iryna Baranovska, Alla Sokol, Serhii Husovskyi, Sergii Ovsiienko, Vasyl Koldra, Oleksii Polkhovskyi, Petro Suslensky, Sergii Kharchuk, Yevhen Vytochkin, and Mykola Zinchenko.

Special thanks to the artists whose works were sold at the auction: Albert Feldman, Volodymyr Podlevsky, Volodymyr Mykytenko, Matviy Vaisberg, Vladyslav Shereshevsky, Konstantin Kalynovych, Nataliia Roi, Roman Minin, Igor Abramovych, Vadim Bondero, Andrey Tsoy, Lika Spivakovska, Konstantin Kozemyaka, Olena Priduvialova, Misha Sydorenko, Tetiana Korol, Petro Smetana, Alla Alekseeva, Dina Rozen, Yura Shapoval, Vartan Markarian, and Liza Repko.

None of this would have been possible without your participation.

May your kindness and generosity return to you a hundredfold!