by Patrick Brion
Many international volunteers still want to come to Ukraine to help. Their first stop when they arrive in country, is often the beautiful city in Western Ukraine, Lviv.
For many it is their first visit to Ukraine and may have some problems finding the way to help or to settle in Ukraine.
Therefore, the organization to go to is the International Volunteer Center, situated the Yaroslava Stets`ka Street 11 in Lviv centre. The IVC, a service provider for those volunteers, was founded on 12 October 2023 by Ukrainian, French and American volunteers and is internationally staffed, currently with ten people working there.
The IVC is a also an Ukrainian registered NGO, which resulted out of a joint cooperation with UkraineSOS (Ukraine), Mother for Ukraine (USA) and Ukraine is Europe (FR).
What does the IVC do, or how they help the arriving volunteers.
- Assistence regarding the Ukrainian administration, insurance, legal help, shipping within Ukraine, visa, residence card, etc.
- Provide a hub, where arriving volunteers can rest, do laundry, and prepare for a mission
- Networking is key with Ukrainian and international NGOs
- Assist in daily issues, which the volunteers are confronted with
- Direct volunteers to other NGOs
- Plan and execute missions on an individual base
- Provide transport within Lviv
- Temporary storage of equipment or products
- Provide volunteers with local contacts in Ukraine, the so-called “fixers”
- Empower volunteers to contribute to various social, cultural and environmental projects in Ukraine
They also provide lodging with different hotels, hostels and restaurants, where volunteers receive a discount.
Medical training, crucial when a volunteer is in Ukraine, is often organized by the IVC staff and medical specialists.
As with many NGOs, the IVC is also privately funded.
While visiting the IVC, I met Alex, from the Ukrainian NGO UkraineSOS, who was one of the founders. Alex comes originally from Kharkiv and has been instrumental in numerous volunteer projects and humanitarian aid.
As already stated, the staff at IVC is international, people like Shannon, an American retail manager in real estate, is working on developing further projects for the IVC. He works closely with Nel, also originating from the USA, as an English teacher, who is helping with improving the social media and website for the IVC.
So, a lot of committed staff and volunteers. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them, if you plan on coming to Ukraine as a volunteer.
More information on the IVC can be found here:
