Age: 29
Education: Master’s degree in nonprofit management at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv
Profession: Head of nonprofit U-Cycle
Did you know? To restore inner balance, she went on a spontaneous solo trip to India, just a month before she was to graduate from her university.
Anastasia Makarenko loves books and bicycles, so she became an activist to share her passions with others and make the world a better place.
In January 2014, Makarenko joined the EuroMaidan Revolution, which ousted ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, to spread education among others.
Amid the escalating protests, she donated books to a library opened by activists in Ukrainian House, an exhibition center in central Kyiv, right where the revolution was unfolding.
Makarenko couldn’t leave the library once she visited it and stayed there until summer. She invited famous Ukrainian writers like Vasyl Shkliar and Yuriy Andrukhovych to read lectures and encouraged local publishing houses to donate their books.
While Kyiv’s Khreshchatyk Street was covered with dust and smoke, the library was like a small island, open to all.
“It wasn’t just about books, but about the community,” Makarenko says.
After the revolution, Makarenko was inspired to continue working in a civic sector — unlike transportation engineering, the specialty she learned at the university, social work fulfilled Makarenko with joy.
She joined Ukraine’s nonprofit U-Cycle in 2014 and became the head of the organization four years later. Founded in 2004, U-Cycle promotes safe cycling and supports bicycle-friendly facilities in Ukraine, which the country still lacks.
As an avid cyclist, Makarenko knows that getting around Ukraine on a bike can be a hassle — Ukrainian traffic regulations for cyclists are flawed and many cities have no cycling lanes whatsoever.
“Ukraine is a marvelous country but you should always step out of your comfort zone to explore it,” Makarenko said.
U-Cycle has set out to change that.
The hardest part, Makarenko recalled, was to convince the media and local governments that U-Cycle is a community of change-makers — not just a group of cycling buffs.
The further they went, the more they achieved. In 2018, U-Cycle made local governments in Ukraine to reduce traffic speed in cities from 60 to 50 kilometers per hour and to adopt national standards helping to build bike-friendly cities.
Makarenko said that Ukraine needs a developed infrastructure for bicycles so people could make better lifestyle choices.
“When you are getting around the city on bicycle, you improve the quality of life,” Makarenko said. The air becomes cleaner, the cities quieter and the streets more spacious, she adds.
For a dedicated activist like Makarenko, making the world a better place is crucial.
“People talk about climate change and social justice — these are vague concepts. Cycling, however, is a more specific way to make a change,” she says.
