Nataliya Kabatsiy, Director of the Charitable Organization «Charity Fund «Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya»

I assumed, but did not want to think about the fact that we would have to talk in detail about four years of full-scale russian-Ukrainian war. But the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya has lived through these years, learning to be rational in its perception of people's needs, requests to strengthen critical and social infrastructure, and assistance to the Defenders of Ukraine. War is not eternal; at least, the world knows of no eternal war except the war between good and evil. This means that today we must work together to take care of our common tomorrow — implementing sustainable solutions in the energy sector, improving inter-institutional relations, promoting important reforms in the state, and updating support for the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine.

Four years of full-scale war is a story of the Committee's constant expansion of its areas of work. We have seen in practice how flexible and adaptable we are. No matter how difficult it was, I can repeat in 2026 what I said in February 2023, 2024, and 2025: we have more work, but we have not abandoned any of our previous priorities. We continue to develop the social services infrastructure at the Center «Parasolka», expand the Vilsany Children's Residential Care Institution (Vilshany Orphanage), and, on top of that, we are installing solar power stations at medical, educational, and social institutions, helping to develop the professional competencies of medical workers, and deepening our international ties, thanks to which we are able to respond more quickly and effectively to the challenges of war. Today, the Committee is present in virtually every region of Ukraine through various activities. Adhering strictly to the principle of promoting the development of domestic civil society, we do not open offices, but support the activities of regional non-governmental organizations. We are confident that this is the right decision, given the scale of post-war reconstruction and the role of the public sector in these processes. Right now, we are delighted with the network of partnerships that our organization has formed over the past four years. In such difficult and controversial times, this is a reason to rejoice that an effective community of caring, responsible, and creative people has formed in Ukraine.

I have noticed that lately people have become less surprised as to why an organization from Transcarpathia is implementing humanitarian and social projects throughout the country and why these projects go far beyond the medical field. Instead, we are increasingly asked how we manage to do all this, what motivates and supports us. And here I will not say anything new. An organization is made up of people. For us, the words «mutual understanding» and «mutual assistance» are not empty words. These are principles that are integrated into every project, into our cooperation with colleagues from Switzerland, France, Germany... We are effective because we know what we are doing, because we have more than 25 years of expertise, because we are constantly learning to improve our capabilities. Yes, it can be difficult and frustrating, because the path to change is never easy, and we recognize that finding resources today is a daily challenge. By overcoming these challenges, we find new footholds, continue moving forward, and thank everyone who is traveling with us in the same direction!

Here is a concise summary of what our organization has been experiencing over the past four years.