Charitable Ukraine 2025 Competition: EAST SOS Took 3rd Place in the “Nationwide Charity” Category

The EAST SOS Charity Foundation took 3rd place in the “Nationwide Charity” nomination of the National Competition “Charitable Ukraine 2025: Charity supporting Ukraine’s defense.”

For many years, this annual competition, organized by the Association of Charities of Ukraine, has recognized the best charitable and volunteer initiatives in the country. Its goal is to support the development of a culture of giving and highlight practices that change people’s lives.

For twelve years, our foundation’s team has stood beside people affected by the war. Today, EAST SOS brings together more than 250 specialists working across eight activity areas. Despite the challenges of the war, we not only continue to provide assistance but also keep developing: launching new support initiatives, strengthening our regional teams, and implementing projects that draw attention to issues often overlooked by society.

Last year, these included publications featuring testimonies about alleged war crimes in Oleshky and Mariupol, as well as crimes against children in the temporarily occupied territories, documented by our team; the 9th Opinion Festival, which became a space for open dialogue between representatives of the state and civil society sectors; and the Invisible People of Ukraine’s Frontline forum, aimed at developing mechanisms to provide sustainable support for people forced to evacuate.

For us, this award represents thousands of human stories where, despite all the hardships of war, people received a chance for a new beginning thanks to the daily efforts of everyone at the EAST SOS Charity Foundation. It is a family returning to a home rebuilt after russian shelling. It is a camp in the Carpathians where children from frontline areas can experience an ordinary, carefree childhood again, even if only for a few days. It is a lonely evacuated woman receiving safe housing and support. It is a man who, at the age of 60, obtains a Ukrainian passport for the first time because he chooses Ukraine, even though his home remains under temporary occupation.

“This award is, first and foremost, an opportunity to thank our team. People who invest their knowledge, experience, care, and dedication in their work every day. Thanks to their professionalism, some stories of help become systemic solutions, and thousands of people get a chance to recover from lossWe are deeply honored to be part of the community of Ukrainian charities who prove every day that mutual support is the driving force of our country,” said EAST SOS Board Member Maiia Kuzmina.

We thank every member of the EAST SOS team and our partners for their trust and joint work. We also express our respect to all charitable and civil society organizations that are currently helping Ukrainians affected by the war.

EAST SOS was ranked among the TOP 100+ Transparent Public Charitable Organizations 2026.