Kateryna’s story exemplifies the success we aim to make accessible for children in Ukraine. She received top-tier education in both Ukraine and the USA, graduating from Lviv Polytechnic and UCLA with a degree in Economics. As a practicing CPA in the USA, Kat is deeply involved in organizing our programs. She believes that her knowledge of languages and exposure to good role models played a crucial role in her achievements, and she wants Ukrainian children to have the same educational opportunities she had.
Kat moved to Ukraine before the war and began running the non-profit with no intention of seeking compensation. When the war started, all the funds in the non-profit were redirected to military needs and humanitarian aid for displaced people, leaving no resources for education—the organization's original main goal. Determined to continue supporting education, Kateryna went to the largest shelter in Lviv, where many people from Eastern Ukraine had relocated at the start of the war. She offered to teach English and recruited foreign teacher volunteers to help online. Over time, both foreign and local volunteers joined to create a comprehensive program that included English classes, art classes, and museum trips for the children living in the shelter and children of military personnel.