Men wearing frayed overalls and respirators bustle in the dust-filled rooms. Someone gets nearly knocked over by a wheelbarrow; another man greets his friend by raising a hand while still holding an ax in it. On the side a group of people are enthusiastically ripping off old tiles and window frames. This weekend a numerous and friendly crowd of volunteers gathered to help rebuilding an intensive care unit of Main military clinical hospital in Kyiv. It took them only several hours to prepare the rooms for renovation. The event took place as a part of “Dignity” project supported by “Center for helping the wounded” foundation.
People came in numbers so vast, that there wasn’t enough work to keep everyone busy. The organizers expected for up to 50 participants to show up, instead almost 200 appeared. Those who had their own tools, removed windows and doors and took care of floors and ceilings, others collected and hauled debris. “I came here with two friends of mine. We have only our hands for the instruments, as we have no construction equipment at home. But we were given shovels and sacks, so we are clearing the garbage away,” says Roman Kroshytetsky, computer science teacher.
Serhii, industrial climber, showed up for the community service with his own set of tools. “I have a hammer drill, saws, axes, and a jackhammer. My part here is smoothing out floors and windowsills. I arrived here with three friends – who else but us would do this?” Serhii, dressed in a bright yellow overall, smiles, donning back his industrial helmet and eye protection.
Maryna Diachenko is the foreman of this “anthill.” She praises the volunteers: “You don’t need specialists to dismantle something or clean the premises. The work goes easy, because the people are full of enthusiasm and joy, and everyone does what they are told. The rooms were old and shabby, but soon they will be nice and shiny. In a few days there will be plastic windows (the order has already been placed), also the floorings will be smoothed out and drywall will be delivered for more work to be done.”
The activists saved 30,000 hryvnias in their renovation effort. A building company hired for a similar task would cost 40,000, and the volunteer gathering needed only 10,000 for garbage disposal, food, gloves, and respirators. Actually, the “Center for helping the wounded” turned its attention to this particular hospital department in the summer. Bohdan Lysenko, a coordinator of the gathering, recalls: “Two ATO soldiers were admitted here in the intensive care unit, they were in coma. The hospital service itself was okay, but the interior was in terrible condition. We have already renovated three wards on the second floor, now is the time for the intensive care unit. There will be six wards here.”
The rooms had been made clean by the community several hours earlier than expected. Professional construction workers left their contact details for the organizers – their help will be useful along the way. “The major overhaul of these rooms is still ahead. And perhaps, there will be more events like this one in the future,” says Lysenko. And volunteers affirm – they are likely to come forward again. For them, it’s not only a renovation effort, it’s a communication with like-minded people.
