OurBorsch joins efforts with Kidsave

Grassroots Volunteer Organization OurBorsch Joins Forces with Kidsave

OurBorsch is a volunteer organization founded in response to the war in Ukraine by a group of refugees with Ukrainian roots that provides immediate aid to refugees forced to flee their homes. Since the start of the war, OurBorsch has raised $129,000 to fund humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine, including sending supplies to children's hospitals and orphanages and delivering food, medicine, and other necessities to elderly and disabled individuals and families in need.

OurBorsch started supporting the work of like-minded long-standing U.S.-based children's charity Kidsave, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Kidsave's primary work in Ukraine since 2016 is child welfare reform, facilitating family-finding and mentoring for older orphans aging out of care without a support system. Kidsave was in the process of expanding its programs when the invasion occurred. Once the war began, Kidsave shifted efforts to rescue, evacuate, and provide humanitarian aid, saving nearly 22,000 people and delivering over 350 tons of supplies. It was natural for OurBorsch and Kidsave to work together and eventually form a partnership.

OurBorsch joins Kidsave with the goals of continuing immediate relief efforts and eventually expanding Kidsave programming in Ukraine. OurBorsch’s founder, Helen Nesteruk, said, “While helping financially, we're enabling local communities to help themselves. A friend in Kyiv recently said, ‘Thank you for allowing me to be useful. If it weren't for this, I would be sitting in my basement, waiting to be bombed.' These simple words were eye-opening. People need hope. They need purpose. I am so excited to join forces with Kidsave to take our immediate aid efforts to the next level and in the future to focus on placing orphaned children into families.”

In July, OurBorsch became an official part of Kidsave's arsenal of work in Ukraine. “It has been a privilege to work alongside OurBorsch during this time of crisis,” said Randi Thompson, Kidsave CEO and co-founder. “These committed volunteers have done an incredible job activating supporters and getting the word out about the crucial need in Ukraine. We share an unwavering commitment to Ukraine now and in the future, and together we will help rebuild and restore our kids' futures in Ukraine.”

Alongside the partnership, several members from OurBorsch will join the Kidsave Board as Trustees and Associates.

All donations to OurBorsch will now be accepted through Kidsave.

More information on OurBorsch's Projects:

Delivered 7 tons of Humanitarian Aid to Borodyanka
Heavy shelling, bombing, and theft destroyed Borodyanka and its surrounding villages. Residents were left with destroyed homes and no basic necessities. Many families are now living in underground cellars. OurBorsch delivered over 7 tons of humanitarian aid to Borodyanka and the surrounding villages including grocery packets, bedsheets, faucets, cleaning supplies, children's toys, clothes, and dried goods.

Kyiv Children's Hospital Palliative Ward
This rehab ward typically hosts 25-30 disabled and bedridden children who require rehabilitation and ongoing palliative care. The hospital was evacuated at the start of the war and used by soldiers. Once the Kyiv area was freed from occupation, we provided various supplies to get the hospital back up and running, including bedding, pillows, blankets, diapers, hygiene products, and a washing machine. The ward was able to open on time and accept children into much-needed care.

Lviv Orphanage
Lviv Orphanage #104 took in 70 evacuated children from Mykolaiv. OurBorsch provided this orphanage with 140 sets of bed sheets, a washing machine, a meat grinder, and other kitchen items to help them accommodate the new kids.

Feeding families in Odesa and Kyiv and providing medicine
We support around 150 families in Odesa and Kyiv with groceries, hygiene items, and in some cases, medicine. These families include disabled children, the elderly, and refugees within Ukraine.

Fond Dobryh Serdets
OurBorsch partners with Odessa-based charity organization, фонд добрых сердец (Fund of Kind Hearts), on various projects from grocery and hygiene to orphanages and hospitals. FDS also sponsors individual children who are in need of life-saving surgery. More on them here fds.com.ua