Ukrainian intern and volunteer Valeria Bezlutska talked about her journey — from helping children in Ukraine to working with the German Red Cross. Her story is an example of how professional knowledge and personal dedication can be transformed into real support for people in crisis situations, both at home and abroad.
First steps in volunteering
While still a student, Valeria began working with children who needed special attention. She held master classes, small celebrations, and participated in projects for children undergoing cancer treatment. “I saw how simple attention changed children. It was important for them to feel that they were not alone,” she recalls.
Gradually, her volunteer work became intertwined with medicine. She participated in donor campaigns and took Red Cross first aid training courses. It was then that she realised that these two areas could become inseparable.
War and new challenges
24 February 2022 was a turning point. Valeria’s hometown of Kherson was occupied, but she remained in Kyiv. ‘From the very first days, I realised that I couldn’t stand aside. It was scary, but it was even scarier to do nothing,’ she says.
Valeria focused primarily on helping hospitals find medicines. Together with her friends who had medical training, they searched for medicines needed by patients in hospitals. The need for medicines for cancer patients was particularly acute. ‘We knew that every delay could cost lives,’ she explains.
Read also: How the Ukrainian Red Cross has changed over the three years of the Great War
German Red Cross: a new experience
Valeria subsequently began working with the German Red Cross. This gave her the opportunity not only to share her own experience, but also to learn new practices. ‘In Germany, I saw how the system works, where every process is refined. There are protocols, instructions, support teams. But at the same time, I understood that in Ukraine we often work in conditions where no protocol provides for reality. And then only flexibility and quick reaction can save you,’ she says.
At the German Red Cross, she participated in projects to organise first aid training. Her Ukrainian experience allowed her to better understand people who had just survived the war. When volunteering in hospitals, she often translated what doctors said from German into Ukrainian. ‘When you yourself know what it’s like to hear the siren or spend the night in a basement, your words sound different to those who have been through the same thing,’ Valeria explains.
Read also: Maksym Dotsenko: Red Cross is reflection of country’s image
International cooperation and the power of community
Valeria is convinced that cooperation between Ukraine and international organisations is of enormous importance. ‘The German Red Cross has shown me that global standards can be combined with our unique experience,’ she says.
A symbol of resilience
For Valeria, volunteering has become more than just a way of life. ‘When I see a person who has been saved, a smile after helping them, it gives me strength. It’s my fuel that keeps me going,’ she admits.
Her story is an example of how personal experience can be transformed into professionalism, and cooperation with international organisations into new standards of support.
Read also: Ukrainian Red Cross calls to protect emblem from unlawful use
