There are people for whom helping is merely an episode. And there are those for whom, one day, it becomes a way of life.
For Lyudmyla Syvak, that day was February 24, 2022. She remembers the first day of the full-scale invasion as a time of chaos and fear. Some were leaving, some were coming together, and others were already gathering aid. Lyudmyla decided to stay and be as useful as possible right where she was. By the third day, she had already organized assistance for people evacuating from Kyiv and cities reached by Russian troops.
Since then, volunteering has become an integral part of her life. Today, Lyudmyla lives abroad, yet she continues to help Ukraine, the military, and civilians alike. Exclusively for the international glossy magazine Business Woman, Lyudmyla Syvak speaks about the responsibility that does not fade after moving, the people who are impossible to forget, female strength, disappointment, trust, and most importantly — why being far away does not mean standing aside.
“I COULD NOT JUST STAND BY AND WATCH”
— Lyudmyla, do you remember the moment you first realized: “I cannot just stand by and watch — I have to help”? What was happening in your life back then?
— It was the first day of the full-scale invasion. In my head, there was chaos and fear. Some were leaving, while others were uniting and already gathering essentials.
That was precisely when I realized that, since I was not leaving, I had to be as useful as possible right here and right now.
And already on the third day of the full-scale invasion, among my own circle, I gathered an entire corridor of aid for refugees from Kyiv and cities reached by Russian soldiers.
“IT IS MY BAD HABIT”
— What truly drives your volunteering? What moves you — love, responsibility, pain, gratitude, a sense of duty, or something entirely different?
— Responsibility — first and foremost.
Sometimes I joke and call it my bad habit.
I believe each of us must help in this terrible struggle. Whether our country remains independent or not is everyone’s responsibility.
Of course, each in their own way, within their own means, but everyone must help the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their country.
And secondly, it is probably my empathy. I process every story, every plea, and every situation through myself. And once you do that, it becomes impossible to refuse someone.
“LOVED ONES BECAME STRANGERS, AND STRANGERS BECAME FAMILY”
— When did volunteering cease to be just “helping” and become a part of your life? What changed within you?
— Everything changed instantly.
Life became different because you see and hear so much sorrow, so many shattered lives and deaths.
At night, you receive phone calls from people who have killed someone in the war for the first time, and they need to speak it out immediately.
In such a routine, volunteering simply becomes a way of life.
The circle of communication changed, because usually you choose people with whom you share common interests, who understand and support you.
War turned everything upside down: loved ones became strangers, and strangers became family.
“THERE ARE STORIES I CARRY WITHIN ME”
— You help both the military and civilians. Is there a story of someone you helped that you still carry within yourself?
— There are many such stories, but I will tell you about Alla, a resident of Kherson.
Whenever I feel afraid or exhausted, I always remind myself of this brave woman as an example. She is my motivation to keep going.
This incredible woman escaped occupied Kherson with an infant in her arms and another child, slightly older.
It was an agonizing journey: days spent on a bus, the constant fear of being shot at checkpoints, hungry children, and prolonged sleep deprivation.
Yet, this courageous woman managed to get out.
She is my hero.
Fate brought her to Ternopil, and that is where we met when she reached out for help.
“A WOMAN IS A PROTECTOR”
— Women’s volunteer work often remains behind the scenes. Where do you see the unique strength of a woman helping during wartime?
— A woman is, above all, a protector.
She can do anything: help, listen, support, advise, find, direct, motivate, simply stay silent together, make a scene — sometimes that is necessary too — and protect.
She can care for strangers as if they were her closest kin.
“RESPONSIBILITY DID NOT REMAIN IN UKRAINE”
— You relocated to another country, but you did not stop helping Ukraine. Did your sense of responsibility toward Ukraine change after the move?
— Naturally, I felt it even more intensely.
On top of that came survivor’s guilt, which sometimes feels truly suffocating.
— What proved to be the hardest part after moving? How do you remain close to those who need help back home from another country?
— When you have the desire to help, nothing is impossible — especially nowadays, with the internet.
Of course, people help me on the ground in Ukraine as well. My closest friend Mariia and my father Yaroslav are there — they are my hands and eyes on site.
“OUR DEFENDERS DO NOT LET ME STEP ASIDE”
— Today, many Ukrainians abroad are gradually experiencing war fatigue. What helps you personally not to disengage?
— Our defenders!
Many of them have become close friends of mine.
When I witness their courage, when I realize that they need support, it only makes me want to help and stand by them even more.
“I LEARNED NOT TO PROVE ANYTHING”
— Was there anything along your volunteering path that broke you? And what helped you gather yourself and carry on?
— There was a bit of everything.
It was particularly painful when I left, and people whom I had helped, whom I had collaborated with, and who had gained valuable connections through me, began talking behind my back. Instantly, I became the villain in their eyes.
Yet, that turned into a step forward for me.
I finally gave myself permission to let others think or speak poorly of me.
I learned to remain indifferent to idle gossip or judgment.
I learned not to prove or explain anything.
What matters most is that I know who I am and what I do.
And everyone who values that will always stay by your side. You do not need the rest anyway.
“KINDNESS TAUGHT ME TO VERIFY”
— How has volunteering changed you as a woman? Who were you before the war, and who have you become today?
— I became tougher, because my kindness was often taken advantage of.
I also became distrustful; I verify things multiple times now.
Sometimes people take offense that I check their words or actions for truthfulness, but these years taught me: trust, but verify.
I launch fundraisers — this is public money for which I bear personal responsibility. Therefore, I must thoroughly verify everything so that every detail is accountable.
I also became more communicative and confident.
And I learned to make decisions quickly.
“TO HELP IS TO HEAR”
— If we strip away all the numbers, fundraisers, parcels, and reports — what does the word “help” mean to you personally?
— It means to hear.
To hear someone else’s sorrow.
Sometimes, the best way you can help is simply by listening to a person.
“YOU MAY BE FAR AWAY — BUT NOT POWERLESS”
— And most importantly: what would you say to a woman living abroad right now who thinks that distance from Ukraine equals powerlessness?
— Every person chooses their own path and is solely responsible for it.
We choose whether to feel powerless or to keep fighting, just as we choose what to eat, who to be friends with, and so on.
Everything is in our hands, and the choice is entirely ours.
Where to draw strength from is also solely our responsibility. After all, we are adults, we are intelligent, and we must seek out paths and solutions.
Of course, we have the right to surrender and give up. That, too, is a choice.
But I want to say to every woman living abroad right now: distance from Ukraine does not mean powerlessness.
If you have the desire to help, you can always find a way.
You do not have to do something massive. Everyone can do whatever is within their power.
We cannot control everything, but we can control our choices.
And as long as our defenders continue fighting for Ukraine, each of us can find our own way to stand by them.
BEING THERE IS A CHOICE
Lyudmyla Syvak’s story is not about heroism that always carries a loud voice.
It is about a daily choice. About responsibility that does not vanish after relocating. About the ability to hear another person’s pain. About a woman who learned to become stronger without losing her humanity.
And about a simple yet profound truth: sometimes, in order to help, you do not need to be physically near. You just need to never become indifferent.
Because distance is just geography. But being there is a choice.
Author: Inessa Kryvenko
Photo: from the heroine’s archive