“This is very simple. Anyone can do it”

As a result, trees grew, dandelions bloomed, and birds appeared on the walls in two wards. The management and staff of the hospital, and patients, and Kyivites themselves (some of them painted for the first time in their lives) were satisfied with the result. Now the mood of burn center patients will be created by drawings, instead of bare walls.

Volunteers had an idea to adorn the hospital walls after several wards were redecorated. Volunteers consulted the hospital management, who supported the idea, and addressed public initiative “Dyvovyzhni” (“Amazing”), the members of which actively improve their life space by painting underground passages, benches in parks, staircases in apartment buildings, etc. “Dyvovyzhni” posted an announcement on Facebook, and 160 people signed up for it on the first day.

“We were simply shocked, we could not believe that people have this huge desire to change space. We told people that unfortunately, we could not fit everyone into these two small rooms, therefore we organized two groups of 20 people in each,” “Dyvovyzhni” organizer Maria Nasiedkina says. “Absolutely different people participated in the event. They have hobbies, families, and other things they can do during the weekend. But they came to create this positive change with us.”

“Dyvovyzhni” is an NGO, which is engaged in development of responsibility and pro-activeness of citizens by involving them in socially useful tasks of various directions, Nasiedkina explains. “Our goal is not to paint all the hospitals in the country or to repair all staircases in apartment buildings, but to create a positive example, inspire other people to act, and show, that one small action does have meaning. And global changes consist of these tiny local changes,” the public activist explains.

Viktoria and Daria, students of the economy department at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv saw on Facebook that “such an amazing hangout is being organized” and decided to join. “We understood this was something we would love to do,” the girls share. They say it is the first time they joined an event by “Dyvovyzhni,” but they have been volunteering for quite a long time. “People see what is going on in the country, what is going on around us, and understand: if there is no mutual help and mutual support, there will be nothing at all,” Viktoria says.

Nasiedkina explains: “Our events are very simple to repeat: it is of crucial importance for us that people understand they can repeat what we are doing here. We are not artists, not urbanists, not architects. We just projected a design of a picture onto the wall and painted it. This is very simple. Anyone can do it.”

“I want to change something for the better. And the main thing here is to start with oneself. Throw away the trash, clean up, bring order,” says another participant of the event, Olha. “Perhaps, I am an incorrigible optimist, but I believe everything will be alright. We are changing already. The processes have been launched. The concentration of good is growing in a geometric progression in relation to the concentration of evil.”