Author:
Mariia Kucova
Dutch journalist Patrick van ‘t Haar first came to Ukraine as a volunteer at the beginning of the large-scale war. On the Ukrainian border with Poland, he heard thousands of stories of people fleeing the war and wrote about them in his local newspaper. Patrick personally evacuated some women with children to his hometown of Leeuwarden.
"I wrote about how, after the occupation and fighting in the Kyiv region, people from Irpin and Bucha have survived and are trying to live on. I wrote about ordinary people — young and elderly, about families with children. I listened to the stories and shared them with the Dutch in the newspaper Logo van de Leeuwarder Courant", Patrick says.
Patrick first decided to raise money for Ukraine in September 2022. At the time, he was raising money to repair the roofs and facades of two high-rise buildings in Irpin.
Later, he organised the next and more extensive fundraising campaign in December. Patrick wrote several articles in his local newspaper with stories from Ukrainians and called on his fellow citizens to donate. At that point, he managed to raise almost 400,000 euros.
Some of the funds were allocated to support an orphanage. The money was also used to repair destroyed private homes, purchase two ambulances, food kits, generators for hospitals, and turnstiles for the army.
Some of the funds were allocated to support an orphanage. The money was also used to repair destroyed private homes, purchase two ambulances, food kits, generators for hospitals, and turnstiles for the army.
At the end of 2023, the journalist returned to Ukraine. He continued to share stories about people living through the war. Patrick wrote about the impact of the war on the mental health of Ukrainian children and the work of psychologists at the "Voices of Children" Foundation.
"We were distraught that we would not be able to raise even half of last year's amount because everyone understands that attention to Ukraine abroad is decreasing. But fortunately, we even exceeded the goal and raised EUR 675,000. That is almost 25 million hryvnias", says Patrick.
The "Voices of Children" Foundation has received a donation of EUR 150,000. The Foundation will use the money to provide psychological support for children affected by the war. Part of the money will also be used to support the "Fight4freedom Ukraine" organisation, repair houses in Moshchun village in Bucha raion, and buy ambulances, generators, and food.
Patrick is planning to return to Ukraine in April. He will continue to write about people's lives during the war and raise money to help Ukraine.
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