“My name is Anastasia and I’m Ukrainian. Before February 2022, my beloved family and I lived our happy, regular life. We ran an English training centre, and it was more than just a job, it was our greatest inspiration. But then the war started in our country and we lost almost everything. We needed to accept our new reality and we were forced to move to another country.
“Now we are very happy to have a chance to start all over again in Ireland. I’m so thankful for all the support we’ve got here and I’m trying to do my best to become a part of Irish society.
“Last summer I started volunteering. I think it’s really important to be involved in local social life. Now I’m a volunteer with Foróige Youth Club. I lead a teenage group who remind me of my students in Ukraine. We do activities together like playing board games, drawing, and singing our favourite songs. I just love it. The kids are fantastic. They help me to feel much better because they share their positive energy with me. I really look forward to meeting them every time. I’ve met a lot of fantastic people there and we became friends.
“Foróige is a place where we share experiences, learn from each other, help others, develop ourselves, and make good friends. Every minute volunteering with Foróige club is worth it.”
This National Volunteering Week, we’re celebrating the kindness, compassion, and generosity of volunteers like Anastasia.
Thank you to Anastasia for sharing her Volunteer Story. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to share yours!
