Ukrainian Women and Children Need Your Help!

Greetings, my name is Irena Portenko, I am a Ukrainian-American concert pianist, educator and arts administrator.

In March of 2022, I created a fundraiser to help Displaced Ukrainian Musicians. It has received a very enthusiastic response, and with help of my colleagues and friends I was able to send financial resources to support many Ukrainians musicians and I continue to do so!

Every day, I put myself in shoes of all the people who have recently been fleeing Ukraine. As a Ukrainian-born artist, as a mother, as a mentor I want to extend support towards Ukrainian women and their children and to create a new fundraiser. With many of them fleeing their homes, being cooped up in bomb shelters for days, even for weeks, they are desperate of help, moral and physical help, and very often a place to stay.

Since mid-April I have been working with a wonderful person, Natalia Truhan, a psychologist, writer and a kind and patient organizer, who ensures that families with women and children, pregnant women, orphans as well as people who have been abused get necessary attention as they flee the war zone in Ukraine. Since 2019, she and her NGO “Save a Child” (Zbereju Dytyny) https://www.facebook.com/zbereju.dutuny) has been helping more than sixty five to acquire new place to create a new chapter in their lives. We are working together to support the refugees from the Eastern Ukraine can have a shelter, food, where they can consult with psychologists and lawyers, where children can attend temporary schools and have activities, that would distract them from the horrors they have been through.

In this shelter they would stay for up to several months until they, make a decision to move on with their lives, hopeful and more confident.

A special concert “From Georgia with Love: a Benefit Concert to Ukrainian Women and Children” will be given to thank all the contributors for their attention to this very important step in rebuilding people’s lives in Ukraine!

Gocha Abuladze, a renowned Georgian singer and I will perform a special program, consisting of the highlights of operatic music, solo piano repertoire and all-time favorites at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 18th, 2022 at 8:00pm.

https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2022/05/18/Gocha-Abuladze-Baritone-Irena-Portenko-Piano-0800PM

As mentioned by Gocha: “I remember the war of 2008 in Georgia. I feel I am going through it again, while watching so many people suffer. These days, I cannot sit still and I must do something to make an impact in the Ukrainian women’s and children’s lives. I would like to sing and, with my music to make a difference in their today’s existence”.

I am grateful for Gocha’s talent and for his time, attention and a strong desire to heal this huge bleeding wound, that we all share now!

Please, join me in this campaign! I would like to see pictures of the women and children in their “HOME AWAY FROM HOME” as soon as possible!

Thank you all!