Summer festivities for families who fled the war in Ukraine

Hi there! Following the immense success of the 2023 edition of the Kids Festival, organized thanks to your kind donations made on GoFundMe, we are coming back with another heartwarming Ukrainian families-oriented event: Ivana Kupala, a community-building neighborhood festival to mark the first days of summer!

But first, let me introduce us. I am Anna Greszta, and I organize this fundraiser on behalf of the Collect4Ukraine group, of which I am a member. We are a grassroots volunteer collective that organizes fundraising events to help people and animals in Ukraine. To learn more about our activities, please check out our Instagram ! Since March 2022, we've come together to help as much as we can. Humanitarian and tactical aid for Ukraine is crucial, but we also try not to turn a blind eye to people who have fled the war and found refuge among us: in Amsterdam, The Hague, Groningen, and many other corners of the country.

We specialize in creating spaces for community-making, with our focus especially on integrating and activating families who have relocated to Amsterdam due to the war. In the last two years, we've organized, among others, PODARUNOK (in Ukrainian: a present) - a charity Christmas festival, and two editions of Children’s Festival - a day full of fun, games, food, music, and workshops - all for free.

This June, we want to organize a festive day at Lola Luid , for neighbors and Ukrainian communities living in nearby shelters, to come together and celebrate the first days of summer. Ivana Kupala is a Slavic folk holiday to mark the summer solstice, and it's the namesake of our festival. We plan weaving workshops, flower wreath making, face painting, outdoor games, food, live music, and a fundraising market, all aimed at creating a day to remember.

To make it happen, we need your help to collect funds for the organization - for buying food, art and games supplies, decorations, etc. We believe that with your help we can repeat the success of our previous events. You can have a glimpse into the previous endeavors organized by us for Ukrainian communities thanks to beautiful pictures by Christopher Pugmire .

Diakuyemo (in Ukrainian: thank you) for your support!

Collect4Ukraine and Friends