Editor’s Note: This article is a part of the “Journalism of Tolerance” project by the Kyiv Post and its affiliated non-profit organization, the Media Development Foundation. The project covers challenges faced by sexual, ethnic and other minorities in Ukraine, as well as people with physical disabilities and those living in poverty. This project is made possible by the support of the American people through the U. S. Agency for International Development and Internews. Content is independent of the donors.
Iryna Voitovych, 62, feels like she only really started living when she retired six years ago. The former teacher studies English and social media marketing, wears eccentric hats and performs on the stage.
“I am at the age when dreams come true,” Voitovych says. “In my childhood, I wanted to be an actress. Finally, my dream came true.”
Thanks to Zhyznelub charity fund, now she and many more of Kyiv’s nearly 800,000 retirees have options for the kind of leisure that many other older Ukrainians can’t afford financially.
Dances, theater performances, movies and Nordic walking, also known as walking with poles — Voitovych has tried it all, for free.
Zhyznelub, which means “one who loves life” is a non-governmental Kyiv-based charity fund, founded in 2013 by a millionaire businessman, Garik Korogodsky, and Tina Mihailovskaya.
While children and retirees in Ukraine are among the least protected social groups, many organizations exist to help children while few cater to the elderly.
“These people are locked in their apartments, they have no place to go for entertainment,” Mihailovskaya says. “Yet they have lots of free time and they could invest it in learning something new.”
Sad part
Seniors who come to Zhyznelub are in search of new acquaintances, entertainment or in need of financial assistance.
Many Ukrainian retirees struggle financially. The average monthly pension is just under $100, while many live on as little as $50 a month.
“Retirees without relatives have to survive on this money, and you can imagine conditions they live in,” Mihailovskaya says.
Zhyznelub opened six free food distribution points in Kyiv where, once a day around 1 p. m., volunteers give out meals, serving about 150 people. Local restaurants make a lot of the donations.
But feeding the body is not enough. Zhyznelub also tries to feed the soul for lonely seniors.
“I remember how when we were giving food to the seniors some of them kept complaining that the soup was not warm enough,” Mihailovskaya recalls. “At first, it felt kind of unpleasant, but soon I understood that it was their way to draw our attention. They simply wanted to talk to someone.”
Zhyznelub will also deliver food for those unable to go to the distribution points. It helps to find medical care and raise money for surgeries. It arranges birthday parties and financially helps those who are 90 years or older.
Zhyznelub retirees hug after a two-hour weekly Sundao meditation class at Kyiv’s Makoto Dojo center on Jan. 22. (Kostyantyn Chernichkin)
New life
Zhyznelub also organizes more than 70 free entertainment and sports events for seniors monthly and more in the summertime.
Among them are dances, movie screenings, outdoor activities, photo shoots, drama classes, yoga and even fashion shows. Younger people are allowed in only as supervisors for their senior relatives.
“They change a lot after joining the foundation. They begin to dress better and fall in love,” Mihailovskaya says. “I remember this 96-year-old man and a 93-year-old woman. He wanted to get her attention, to be with her, but she kept repeating: ‘In my age a woman should not settle for one man.’”
Newcomers
Now newcomers find out about Zhyznelub from friends or Facebook, but in the early days, volunteers recruited in public places.
“Elderly people are very suspicious,” Mihailovskaya says. “At first they thought we might want to steal their apartment or harm them, so we had to be very careful.”
Events attract hundreds of seniors every month.
Iryna Dvornikova, 62, moved to Kyiv after Russian-backed militants took over her hometown of Donetsk in the eastern Donbas. She joined Zhyznelub in 2017. Today, she takes yoga classes, watches movies and goes to other events.
“When I came to Kyiv, I felt very lonely at first, very depressed, but this foundation brought me back to life,” she says. “The only thing I am terrified of now is that one day Zhyznelub may come to an end.”
Anatoly Popov, 73, has been a member of Zhyznelub for two years. He found out about it on Facebook, and joined the fund with his wife. They take yoga and drama classes.
“For us everything in the club is for free,” says Popov. “I understand that it takes a lot of money to maintain the foundation, and I am so grateful to people for making such an incredible project.”
