“Detektor Media” spoke with Varvara Tertychna and Anna Vereshchak, co-founders of “Starenki”, about the values of the foundation, about attracting new volunteers and about the emphasis that should be made by journalists who talk about helping the elderly. You can find the original article here.
- Your organization has been helping the elderly for several years. How willing are Ukrainians to donate money?
Anna: We have noticed that people mostly do not trust charitable organizations, it does not matter in which direction these organizations work. When we started in 2015, hardly anyone knew how to audit charitable foundations. Therefore, we focused on communication with donors in social networks: we built it in such a way that they were sure that we are a reliable and transparent foundation. One of our principles is no cash. There is only an official fund account where all donations are credited.
From the first steps, we were able to go into large-scale PR and talk about our work everywhere. But they approached this cautiously: they went to the masses gradually. It was important for us to find the audience that fully shares our values. The first volunteers and donors were our acquaintances, who brought their acquaintances – this is how the community around the foundation was gradually built.
Varvara: The turning point was the epidemic of the coronavirus disease. Attention to the topic of helping older people, especially those who do not go anywhere due to health conditions or social isolation, has greatly increased. We tried to broadcast the idea: “You have quarantine only now, and these people are sitting at home for a large part of their lives.” In 2020, the fund raised three times more money, and the number of volunteers doubled. Now attention to the problems of seniors is decreasing.
- How can anyone become your volunteer?
Varvara: Fill out the form and volunteer consent, go through a detailed briefing from the coordinator — and you can go to deliver food packages. On the recommendation of lawyers, we take passport data from volunteers: if a person does not trust us with such information, it raises doubts about the sincerity of intentions.
At each delivery of food aid kits for seniors, there are two volunteers in the team – an experienced one and a new one; after delivery, we ask an experienced person for feedback and draw conclusions for ourselves. Fortunately, our magic works: we haven’t encountered bad people yet. Except that the one man knocked on the our messenegers for a long time, demanding the elderlies address, but we Googled him by phone number and it turned out that he is lit on many forums under ads for the sale of antiques. It is immediately clear why the uncle has these addresses. This is one of the reasons why, for the safety of both the elderly and the volunteers themselves, the foundation does not collect or disclose any personal data of old women — all communication is through social workers.
Our food aid deliveries have an educational and therapeutic function: they introduce people of elegant age, whom we usually do not notice, except in line at the pharmacy or once in a hundred years at the post office (God forbid, on the day of the issuance of a pension). Taking part in the delivery of aid is an opportunity to get off the beaten path from home to work, to see what else is out there in the world. When people see these seniors and the conditions in which they live, hear their stories, they change a lot inside. They think about their own pension, some of the volunteers start saving for retirement even at the age of 25, think about their family. Sometimes we joke a little darkly: if you think that everything is bad for you, go for a ride. You immediately understand that you have nothing to complain about, because you are young, you have arms and legs, and the whole world is open to you. You can decide for yourself what to do, how to treat what, where to move next.
The opportunity to visit elderlies like this is a chance to deeply rethink yourself. And we also have a tea party with a cultural program, where more active seniors who can still move freely come.
- And what is needed to start a volunteer group in your city?
Varvara: To have free time, to agree with all the principles of Starenki. We conduct briefings on the rules of our work with state territorial centers for the provision of social services. Then there is a cooperation agreement and additional training already as a regional coordinator. Someone from our main team will come from Kyiv, you will go to the local territorial center together and agree on cooperation.
- How do your wards react to help?
Varvara: During the first deliveries of food packages, there were questions: “What kind of packages are these? What should I do now? Who should I vote for?” The elderlies were surprised that this was help just like that, they did not understand how it was possible. The response to the volunteers, on the one hand, is positive. On the other hand, it is sad to see that the arrival of our volunteers is the only opportunity for the elderlies to talk to the younger generation. They are often touched that someone has come to do something for them. Most of the volunteers are girls, so seniors show photos of themselves in their youth, wish for a handsome husband, happiness, love, and tell stories. Someone pours tea, someone else…
Anna: Once we arrived, and one granny arranged a table for us. What can they afford? But she took care, baked pancakes. And he says: “Let’s drink 50 grams each.” And we can’t – someone is driving, someone is pregnant. But she persuaded us so. She takes out a decanter from the sideboard, pours us three drops each. We drinked a little – and we understand that it is just water. They just want to imagine comfort. The seniors are happy about the food package, but this is not the main thing – communication with volunteers is an important event for them.
Varvara: Small efforts can mean a lot. Last summer, we came to a senior and asked what she wanted now. She said that she had not eaten ice cream for ten years. The volunteer went down to the shop in the same building and bought her an ice cream. Grandma remembers this sealer for a year, tells everyone.
- What do old people lack the most?
Varvara: Health.
Anna: Communication and respect. There is no cult of respect for the elderly in Ukraine. Many people forget about their grandparents, but we want to take care of other people’s.
- Do you help with vaccinations?
Varvara: No, we do not do that, it is the function of social workers. They go to the pharmacy, make an appointment with a doctor, and with vaccinations, I think they help.
- How are the meetings of your team?
Varvara: We started working remotely before it became mainstream. We don’t have an office, that’s why our meetings used to take place in a cafe, and in the last year most of them were online. The part of our team that goes on delivery trips brings stories: what elderlies said, how they met, etc.
We also share photos, if seniors allow. In the last year, it has been difficult, because we are trying to comply with all quarantine restrictions, we do not enter apartments. Due to the quarantine, there is almost no communication left – this upsets both the elderly and the volunteers.
- You launched the project “Become my voice”. Tell us about it, how successful it has become, what is the goal and did you achieve it?
Anna: The idea was to contact thought leaders and reach out to potential volunteers and donors with the help of their audience. We wanted to popularize the idea that there are people beyond the border, we don’t see them, but they are cool and you can contact them. We sent gifts: eco-bags with the “Starenki” logo and blankets made by one of our grannies. The dolls were beautiful. The gift included a postcard with a few words about the fund and a QR code. After scanning it, you could go and listen to one of five stories. The project lacked scale, because the number of coils was limited. Out of twenty parcels, seventeen-eighteen reached the addressees, they opened them, tagged us, we had more followers on Instagram.
- Another project of yours is “Out of Time”. Tell us about it.
Anna: This is the author’s project of Kyiv photographer Khrystyna Kulakovska, she is one of our volunteers. It was her initiative, we only helped with coordination. She came to seniors, photographed them, wrote down stories. Then she held an exhibition at the “Platform” art factory at the “Gogolfest”.
- How do you build relationships with the media? Were there any problems with this?
Anna: I am a PR specialist by education, I understand the media. Six years ago, when we started, there wasn’t much cool lifestyle or niche media that was close to us. It is not about reaching millions, but about the opportunity to reach our audience – potential volunteers or donors. We have made several attempts to cooperate with large-scale media of general interest, but they collect material superficially, and it is ineffective. Their target audience is not ours. For us, the main thing is that values coincide. We are not talking only about volunteering in our foundation, we are saying that you can do something yourself, you just have to think about the fact that there are old people who need help. It is easier to trust and get to know a neighbor. A year ago, the girls told me that two of our wards lived in the next entrance. I’ve lived in this house for three years and didn’t know about them.
- How can the media help in your case?
Anna: Write. Not about the fund itself, but about the problem. Tell the audience that there are state territorial centers of social assistance, because few people know about this structure, and they perform many functions: communication, ordering food and medicine, help in the household. It’s even more cool when the media go with us on rides. It is difficult to organize it, but we are glad of such an opportunity. Because when a person goes by himself, sees this mechanism, structure and people who receive help, it is perceived differently than when we tell.
Varvara: It seems to me that it is worth talking about additional meanings. It is not only single grandparents who suffer. We are just getting ready to launch videos about the fact that you should not forget about your own grandparents, visit them not only on holidays. It turns out that there are many abandoned seniors who are living relatives. It would also be good if they wrote about bridging the gap between the younger and older generations.
- And what is wrong with the coverage of this topic in the media?
Varvara: Ageism! No matter how many people say that it is unacceptable, ageism still occurs in media materials and in the advertising they receive.
Anna: And when they start looking for the culprits for the fact that these people are lonely and poor. Our focus is not on finding the guilty, but on how to help these people.