Last week, the Starenki team had the honor of participating in an event dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Caritas Ukraine charity network—our reliable partners. The event brought together representatives from embassies, the government, international donors, and humanitarian organizations. It was incredibly valuable to discuss long-term solutions for local leadership and international support, as well as the prospects for project development.
Now, let’s talk about the many years of friendship and fruitful collaboration we’ve had with them. Our foundation has been collaborating daily with regional Caritas organizations for over five years. Thanks to this partnership, we have been able to reach a large number of lonely elderly individuals across various regions of Ukraine, and it has always been transparent and sincere teamwork with a shared mission.
We would like to extend special thanks to the team at the main office of Caritas Ukraine: President of Caritas Ukraine Tetiana Stavnycha, Communications Director Svitlana Som, and Resource Mobilization Specialist Dmytro Segola. We are sure our elderly beneficiaries would thank them as well.
We congratulated Caritas on their 30th anniversary and became guests at an important event. On July 25, 2024, an event was held to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Caritas Ukraine charity network. Representatives from embassies of countries in Ukraine, the government of Ukraine, international donor organizations, both Ukrainian and international humanitarian organizations, the business sector, and Caritas organizations from EU countries and the USA participated in the event. Our charity fund was among the invited guests.
Why is this important to us? For Starenki, receiving an invitation and participating in this event was highly significant and valuable, as Caritas Ukraine and its regional organizations have been our reliable partners for over five years. In partnership with Caritas, we assist elderly individuals in 10 regions of our country.
We were genuinely happy for Caritas and for ourselves at the same time, as having great partners today means driving change in the country more quickly and effectively, as well as reaching more elderly individuals who are in urgent need of assistance and support.
Of course, we brought a little gift for the anniversary.
Maria, Director of Starenki: “Partnership with Caritas Ukraine is about honesty, integrity, and sincerity. We truly align in our desire to help the elderly. The event we were invited to was very meaningful. Issues were raised regarding long-term solutions for local leadership and international support, the impact of local organizations, and their capabilities and opportunities to be more accessible to society, which is extremely important now. We were also delighted by the incredible networking and exchange of experiences and practices with other organizations, as well as getting to know the President of Caritas Ukraine, Tetiana Stavnycha, more closely.”
Nadia, Operations Manager of Starenki: “During difficult times, Caritas Ukraine provides assistance in cities where our volunteers cannot physically reach. They know their beneficiaries and deliver aid despite the shelling, involving military volunteers. It’s inspiring when partners understand their beneficiaries, anticipate problems, and take proactive steps. Our superpower together is flexibility and the ability to hear needs. At the meeting, we finally shook hands, expressed our gratitude in person, and embraced those with whom we have worked side by side for many years. Those Caritas organizations that are not yet working with us expressed a desire to do so. They are open to organizing tea gatherings and other events to support the psychological well-being of elderly individuals.”