International Volunteer Day at TNMU
On the International Volunteer Day, which is annually held by the world community on December 5, TNMU Library hosted festive ceremony of awarding valuable gifts and certificates of acknowledgement from Ternopil Regional Council to the most active volunteers. The event was dedicated to a surgeon, a major in the medical service of the 128th separate mountain infantry brigade, Mykhaylo Stasiv.
TNMU Vice-Rector for Science, Education and Clinical Affairs, Professor Stepan Zaporozhan on behalf of TNMU Rector, Professor Mykhaylo Korda congratulated all the guests on the holiday. He stressed that volunteering at our university is highly developed and that charity work is greatly supported by the university administration.
Ceremony presenters draw the audience’s attention to the fact that flourishing of volunteer movement in Ukraine coincides with the time of the Dignity Revolution and the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine. During this extremely difficult period, this movement united society, created an effective structure of public organizations, groups of people ready to take on the solution of urgent problems of the country. The medical profession requires much kindness and compassion, the ability to come to the rescue and, most importantly, the desire to do so. Young doctors and volunteers have a perfecft example of this service to people – doctor Mykhailo Stasiv.
He saved the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, in particular, on January 25, 2015, he evacuated the wounded during the battle for the support point of the Ukrainian military “Valera” in Donetsk region during the fighting for Debaltseve. He stayed in the military zone for 292 days. Mykhailo Stasiv rescued the wounded, took away the dead from the front line, performed operations in recessed shelters, tents, and in cars. Subsequently, the terrorists gunfired and destroyed his operating unit. He managed to evacuate 187 soldiers from the “Debaltseve Boiler”. Olha Stasiv, the legendary doctor’s wife was present at the celebrations.
“Today, on International Volunteer Day, we gathered here to thank those whose hearts are filled with selfless service to the people, the community, the country. Ukrainian volunteers are those who restored capable army of Ukraine and retained its sovereignty, – Head of Ternopil Regional Council Viktor Ovcharuk said. – And everyone – schoolchildren, students, pensioners, public servants, employees of local self-government bodies, actors and businessmen, educators and economists – made their contribution. A huge number of doctors, including those from Ternopil, has joined and is involved in volunteering. Ternopil doctors were among the first volunteers to go to the East of Ukraine. Ternopil doctors, as well as scientists, teachers and students of TNMU, join other volunteer movements – helping children, the needy families, people with disabilities, war veterans. Thank you very much for your noble work and kind heart!”
The Head of Ternopil Regional Council Viktor Ovcharuk awarded with certificate of acknowledgement and valuable gifts to Olha Stasiv, Assistant Professors of Pediatric Diseases with Pediatric Surgery Department Tamara Vorontsova and Inha Kubei.
The certificates from Ternopil Regional Council on the occasion of International Volunteer Day were received by the representative of the public organization “Mother in Prayer” Mariia Shestopalka, TNMU Associate Professors and organizers of the charitable movement “Misericordia” Taras Kobodnyi and Leonid Kravchuk,former teachers of TNMU Bohdan Boichuk and Nadiia Arkhipova.
An example of true volunteers is Bohdan Boichuk and Nadiia Arkhipova. This married couple, former employees of Ternopil National Medical University, who now live and work in Canada, are actively helping Ukrainian soldiers. They make every effort to provide the Ukrainian military hospitals with the necessary equipment and medicines. Many times, they have provided charitable assistance for medical institutions of Ukraine. Recently, the couple once again provided a lot of products for anesthesiology, general surgery, endovascular and other departments. They are all donated to city hospitals and will serve to save the lives and health of our citizens.
International students, who are involved in volunteer movement, received a lot of joy and satisfaction from award ceremony. Certificates were presented to Ageman Serebouh Ordehea Yav (Ghana), Adenia Adetomiva Adevale (Nigeria), Javed Alam (India), Jaiswal Sahil (India), Lesniak-Moszuk Arkadiusz Dorian (Poland), Nasima Veronica Nancy Natasha (Namibia), Tonier-Ndebele Tandema Nompumelelo (Zimbabwe), Khan Mohammad Shumayel Athar (India). These students put a lot of effort and work into the development of volunteer activity in the university and the city as a whole.
Certificates from Ternopil Regional Council on the occasion of International Volunteer Day were also received by Solomiia Bandrivska, Yuliia Bandrivska, Kateryna Bihuniak, Taisiia Bilonozhko, Oksana Kushneryk, Nataliia Petrova, Oksana Pobihushka, Tereza Shvets.
Patriotic songs performed by our admirable Olia Polovchuk created the festive atmosphere at the ceremony.
TNMU Press Secretary Yanina Chaikivska.
Photographs by Mykola Vasylechko.