Ambitious Student Initiative to Raise €10 000 for Ukraine
In November this year, the Young Geographers' Club of the Institute of Geosciences of Vilnius University (VU), in cooperation with members of other clubs of the European Geography Association for students (EGEA), met with students from Lviv. After hearing first-hand the stories of their Ukrainian colleagues about the Russian-led war, the VU geographers set themselves the ambitious goal of raising €10 000 to help Ukraine survive the winter. Although the amount is not ambitious, Kristupas Vėta, the president of the Young Geographers Club, says that everyone is very motivated to get involved in fundraising and other organised activities.
Inspiring gratitude from Ukrainians
K. Vėta, a fourth-year student of geography at the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences of Vilnius University, says that his motivation to collect donations for Ukraine came from a meeting with Ukrainians themselves.
"Geographers we know have come to Vilnius. One of them is Yuri, who is currently working for the Lviv City Council. He is only allowed to leave Ukraine with a special permit proving that he is travelling for work. This is the reason why he came to Vilnius. Vilnius was a short stop before he travelled to Athens, where he briefs various institutions on what is currently happening in Ukraine. He came to visit us with two other students, bringing gifts - a Ukrainian flag signed by the Lviv Geography Club and all sorts of souvenirs. They were grateful not only for Lithuania's continued support for Ukraine but also for the clear position of the Young Geographers' Club - to remove Russia from the international EGEA organisation," says Kristupas.
According to him, although Russia was not ultimately expelled, the Ukrainians appreciated the fact that Lithuanians were categorically in favour of its removal.
"In Western Europe, many people don't understand this yet, so our position is very important to them," says the student. - In the end, that friendliness and gratitude made us realise that we can contribute to the victory with more than words. And in this way, we will help not only Ukraine or geographers but also our friends."
The target is an ambitious amount
As this winter is particularly difficult for Ukraine due to the constant destruction of infrastructure, the young geographers decided to do their bit to help the country survive.
"We spent a long time deciding whether to set a monetary goal or to collect items. Initially, we wanted to collect €5,000, but in the end, we decided to keep going and set a target of €10,000 by Christmas. We will use the money to buy generators, heaters and lighting", says Kristupas.
In addition, the students will use the funds to buy and ship the items to Ukraine and hope to deliver them before the New Year.
"It's scary to go, but we have friends there, we have people to get advice from, we communicate through other geographers in Ukraine who have family members fighting in different units, and we plan to go to Lviv and distribute where our aid will be sent," says the student.
Funds for this initiative are being raised in the Young Geographers' Club account, and the students have already sent one generator to the front with the first money raised.
Events to encourage donations
To make the fundraising meaningful for the donors, the students have decided to organise charity events: a Ukraine-themed challenge and a hike, which will include donations and the opportunity to learn about the country's culture, history and geography.
"My colleague Lukas Jankūnas and I lead hikes ourselves, so this time we'll all have a chat and talk about Ukraine and the Pučkoriai area, so it will be an opportunity to learn about different things. And the hike's route is drawn to replicate the outlines of the map of Ukraine, so we will try to walk it", says Kristupas.
But raising money is not the only thing the students do - they also spend a lot of their time making candles for the trenches. According to Christopher, his workplace, colleagues, and other students have been actively involved in the campaign.
"Trenkturas helped us to organise the premises for candle making. When we started collecting cans and wax, friends, fellow students, other students, and the whole Institute of Geosciences were united in helping, carrying what they had. Now we meet almost every evening to make trench candles. Soon we should be able to create a map showing all the places in Vilnius where you can bring cans and wax remnants," says the student happily.