The power of giving: support for Kryla nadiyi

As part of our Christmas Give initiative, Pwrteams has supported organisations that make a real difference in people’s lives. In this interview series, we highlight their work and the impact of our collective contributions. 

This time, we spoke with Nataliia Lipska, Founder and Director of Kryla nadiyi – a Ukrainian charity foundation dedicated to supporting children with cancer. From providing medical aid to ensuring children’s dignity during treatment, Kryla nadiyi works tirelessly to address urgent needs. In this interview, Natalia shares details about the foundation’s key projects, current challenges and how we can all contribute to making a difference. 

Please tell us more about Kryla nadiyi. What is its history, focus areas and main beneficiary groups? 

Kryla nadiyi was established in 2007 to support children with cancer in Ukraine. Over the years, we have expanded our scope, and today our work is focused on three key areas: 

• Providing aid to children with cancer, those in need of transplants and those in intensive care or hospice settings. 
• Improving hospital conditions to ensure quality treatment and a comfortable stay. 
• Offering psychological support to children and their families through hospital clowns, creative workshops, joy-filled events and "Bravery Boxes" - special boxes filled with gifts for children as a reward for their bravery. Every child going in for a procedure knows that after offering their hand to the nurse for a blood test or another medical procedure, they will get to choose a gift as a token of their courage and patience.) 

Advocating for social change: 

• Protecting the rights of patients. 

• Driving legislative changes that benefit NGOs and recipients of assistance. 

• Promoting responsible philanthropy and conscious volunteerism. 

Responding to current challenges: 

• Providing humanitarian aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other victims of aggression. 

• Strengthening the resilience of the healthcare system. 

• Offering first aid and emergency medical support to the wounded. 

The groups of people we work with include critically ill children; military medics and wounded defenders; internally displaced persons; various vulnerable groups, including families with children and individuals with serious illnesses.

What challenges does your organisation face? Have these changed since the beginning of the full-scale war? 

One of our biggest challenges today is the overwhelming demand for assistance and the need for people who can respond to this demand. The scale of needs has grown exponentially compared to the pre-war period. Since the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has suffered immense destruction, and the losses continue to rise daily. There is widespread physical, psychological and financial exhaustion. 

On the one hand, we require financial support and in-kind donations such as essential goods and services. On the other, we need dedicated individuals – both full-time staff and volunteers – who can manage processes, coordinate efforts and ensure that aid reaches those who need it, in the right quantity and at the right time. 

The landscape is constantly shifting – some donors withdraw their support, people experience burnout, and the work never stops. Despite these challenges, we continue to seek new partners and seize emerging opportunities. One major success in 2024 was advocating for legislative changes that lifted taxes on aid provided to the military. Such assistance was subject to taxation until February 4, 2025. 

Clowns bring joy to children in the hospital

Your website mentions your efforts to preserve childhood and ensure high-quality medical care for children during the war. Can you tell us more about it?

Since our foundation was originally created to help critically ill children, this remains one of our three core focus areas – and the one closest to our hearts. 

We are committed to ensuring that children receive the care they need, exactly when they need it, following the highest global standards and in the most trauma-free and comfortable way possible. We invest significantly in infrastructure, hospital conditions, medical equipment, treatment processes and psychological support. 

Over the past three years, in collaboration with doctors, we have transformed the kidney transplant unit in Lviv into the best in Ukraine. Last year, we completed renovations in the pediatric oncology ward, a department we have been supporting for many years. In 2023, we established one of only two genetic laboratories in Ukraine, enabling both the diagnosis of rare diseases and donor-recipient matching for children in need of kidney or bone marrow transplants. Since government funding is currently unavailable for this facility, we continue to support its operations independently. 

We also dedicate significant resources to palliative care. Sadly, some children cannot be cured, but we ensure they experience dignity and comfort despite their illness. Children remain children, even in the most difficult circumstances, and they deserve to live their childhood to the fullest. 

And, of course, we love bringing light into hospitals – whether through hospital clowns, creative workshops, or by filling "Bravery Boxes" to bring moments of joy to young patients. 

Transplantation and dialysis department after reconstruction at Clinical centre of children's medicine

What kind of support do you need, and how can people contribute to your work? 

We have two main areas of need: support for our recipients and operational support for the foundation itself. 

For our recipients, our primary goal is to restore regular creative workshops in children's hospitals and ensure frequent visits from hospital clowns. Currently, our "Therapy with joy" project operates in a limited capacity due to a lack of volunteers and funding, yet we see a significant demand from children, their families and medical staff. Additionally, there is always a need for financial support to cover medical examinations and medications. 

Another highly important project is "Protecting the protectors", which focuses on supplying tactical medical kits (backpacks and consumables) to field medics providing emergency care. These supplies are needed in large quantities and on an ongoing basis. Now, we have some medical equipment but lack the backpacks to carry them. 

For the foundation’s operations, we urgently need: 

• Volunteers, both online and offline. We are short on extra hands, expertise and analytical minds to help manage our growing workload. 

• Technical support, particularly SEO for our new website. 

• Funding for administrative needs. Many overlook this but keeping our office and warehouse running costs us nearly 1 000 USD per month in utilities alone. Additionally, we need logistical support – three women unloading a truck is a challenge, and we often have to pay for transport services to deliver vital equipment across Ukraine. Regular donations, no matter how small, to cover these operational costs would be a tremendous help. 

Can you tell us about your collaboration with Pwrteams? How was the funding provided through the company’s Christmas Give used? 

After consulting with our medical partners, we allocated these funds (2 150 EUR) to purchase reagents for the HLA laboratory, which allows us to match related donors for kidney transplants. This funding will sustain the lab’s operations for approximately three months. The reagents have already been ordered and paid for.

What initiatives do you plan to launch soon? 

One of our upcoming initiatives is called "Two thousand for a thousand". We aim to find 2 000 Lviv residents willing to donate 1 000 UAH each to improve the access to basic hygiene services for children undergoing cancer treatment in hospitals. This project will address a fundamental, yet often overlooked need: ensuring that children in wheelchairs or weakened by illness can independently access toilets and showers. 

Currently, these facilities are inaccessible due to narrow doorways, poorly designed showers and cramped toilets. This initiative is about dignity – ensuring that hospitalised children can maintain their personal space and hygiene in a way that respects their boundaries. Conversations with teenagers in treatment have shown us how important this is to them, and we are committed to addressing it. 

An additional aspect of this campaign is leveraging tax management to support important causes. Many people have chosen not to claim the "1 000 UAH from the state" (a one-time payment of 1,000 UAH that has been provided to Ukrainians) for themselves. Our suggestion? Redirect these funds to children in need. As a personal commitment, my family is donating 4 000 UAH to this initiative. 

Your support can change lives. Donate to Kryla nadiyi and help provide vital care to those in need: 

Committed to making a difference

At Pwrteams, giving back is more than a seasonal gesture – it’s a core part of who we are. Supporting organisations like Kryla nadiyi is just one way we strive to make a meaningful impact in the communities where we live and work. 
 
We’re proud to stand alongside our employees and partners in this journey of generosity and social responsibility. Want to learn more about how we give back? Read about the initiatives we are supporting and  how  we’re  making  a  difference  together.