What 2025 was like for Ukrainian Charity Alliance
Kharkiv region continues to remain a hotspot: hundreds of shelling incidents are recorded, leading to destruction, a growing number of internally displaced people, and increased suffering across Ukraine.
We are doing everything we can to support people, so throughout this year we continued working across our four core programs: educational, humanitarian, infrastructure, and veterans’ support. The main mission of the Ukrainian Charity Alliance is to expand educational opportunities for children, reduce humanitarian stress among civilians, and help veterans reintegrate into society. Now it is time to sum up 2025.
Every child has the right to quality education despite the war
Over the year, we delivered more than 8,000 classes for children at three “Zmistovno” educational centers in Kharkiv. Children studied English and Ukrainian, mathematics, design, the basics of programming, and even LEGO construction. Our tutors also taught courses in Canva, artificial intelligence, 3D modeling, and creative arts.
We paid special attention to children’s mental well-being, holding psychological sessions and individual family consultations.
We also opened four Spaces of Resilience in communities across Kharkiv region, where children engage not only in learning and creativity, but also in physical development: gymnastics, football, volleyball, and dance. In total, more than 3,000 sessions were held.
Adults visit these spaces to charge their devices and warm up, as our locations always have heating, electricity, and internet. They also take part in sports activities.
All extracurricular education at our centers is completely free, giving children full access to every activity. Within the walls of our educational centers, an atmosphere of joy, curiosity, and laughter prevails.
To support children from the most vulnerable groups, we organized gift distributions for internally displaced children, low-income families, children whose parents are serving or have died in the war, and children from large families.
We believe that together we can create good for the youngest residents of Kharkiv and the region, because they are the future of Ukraine.
Giving adults a chance to start a career “from scratch”
From February to May, we continued implementing the educational project “Path of Opportunities” for internally displaced people. Training was provided in two tracks: junior accountant for non-governmental organizations and junior project manager for non-governmental organizations.
Over three months, we shared our experience with 160 future specialists. 120 of them completed the training and received certificates.
Thanks to this project, we helped participants discover new professional paths and gain prospects for employment in Ukraine’s civil society sector.
Reducing humanitarian stress in frontline communities of Kharkiv region
In 2025, we sought to slightly improve the lives of people with limited mobility in frontline communities of Kharkiv region and internally displaced people. Through a fundraising campaign on the dobro.ua platform, we distributed 471 humanitarian aid kits. We heard hundreds of stories from those forced to flee and from those who remain under constant shelling, risking their lives every day. Each of them dreams of living under a peaceful Ukrainian sky in their own home, and we are doing everything possible to support them.
The destruction of infrastructure brings new challenges: communities constantly need solutions for energy independence. Over the year, we distributed 11 generators and 30 wood-burning stoves to communities across Kharkiv region and installed a solar power station.
The Ukrainian Charity Alliance also connected a Tesla Powerwall backup power system at Zolochiv Hospital. Patients and doctors now have an independent source of electricity and no longer fear power outages during surgeries or medical procedures. This is not just a battery, it is reliability and confidence that the hospital will remain a place of life and support even when darkness surrounds it.
A dignified return home: a new chapter in veterans’ lives
Throughout the year, we supported the “Plitch-o-Plitch” (Side by Side) Veterans Center in launching programs and equipping facilities. There, 264 brothers and sisters-in-arms went through a path of transformation after their service. We provided psychological support, legal assistance, and career counseling. We also focused on physical rehabilitation and built a veterans’ community in cooperation with local territorial communities.
Every veteran has made an invaluable contribution to Ukraine’s defense, and we did everything possible to help them reintegrate into society. We see how the veterans’ center is bringing real benefits to those who need it most.
The Ukrainian Charity Alliance on the global stage
We implement our programs thanks to the support of international donors, and we want the world to know about Kharkiv region and the needs of people living near the frontline. This year, our voice was heard in Davos, where Dan Radion, Chairman of the UCA Board of Trustees, represented our organization and discussed Ukraine’s future and the most effective ways to provide support.
Meanwhile, our representative in Sweden, Valentyn Bezshchapkin, attended a coordination meeting of Ukrainian scientists, researchers, and lecturers working in Switzerland. Experts discussed Ukraine’s reconstruction, development, and scientific prospects.
Our representative in Poland, Mariia Andrukhyv, organized the 9th “Ukraińska Wiosna” festival in Poland, focusing on cultural diplomacy and direct support for Ukraine.
Oleksii Kurtsev, Head of the Ukrainian Charity Alliance, joined the annual grantmakers’ conference “Razom Stronger 3.0.” The conference became a space for live learning. Discussions with donors and businesses, as well as workshops on emotional resilience, provided us with systemic solutions critically needed to ensure the sustainability of regional projects.
Our voices were also heard at “Architecture Festival Zürich 2025” and at partner organization meetings within the “EU4Recovery UNDP in Ukraine” project. Insights from these meetings help us grow, exchange experience, and reflect on the path we have taken.
And more…
The Ukrainian Charity Alliance team attended a retreat in Lviv, where we found new strength for future achievements. The days were filled with psychological recovery sessions, a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic University, and training focused on mental health restoration.
In autumn, we signed 12 memorandums of cooperation with communities and military administrations across Kharkiv region to strengthen support for people in frontline areas.
“Together with communities, we are launching solutions that support veterans, youth, and families affected by the war. Our task is to strengthen resilience and develop local services where they are needed most,” says Oleksii Kurtsev, Head of UCA.
If you received this digest, you contributed to supporting the people of Kharkiv and the region and to the development of our organization. We are grateful for every step we have taken together. We hope 2026 brings you many victories and opens countless new opportunities. We wish you strong health, boundless energy, and strength for new achievements.