On my fourth trip to Ukraine since the Russian invasion, alongside working on projects to support the Ukrainian army, I visited Kyiv for some Goodgym-style humanitarian volunteering.

Brave to Rebuild (Smilyvi Vidnovlyuvaty) is a volunteer initiative established in March 2022, with the aim of clearing up and rebuilding after the destruction wrought by Russian troops in the Kyiv region - every weekend since (plus some weekdays), volunteers have gone to Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, and other towns and villages whose names have become sadly synonymous with crimes against humanity, to clear rubble and undertake the reconstruction of war-damaged homes.

As well as repairing the damage of two years ago, Brave to Rebuild volunteers have also been on site to assist soon after more recent missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and its surrounding towns. Operations in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions are suspended at present.

I spent two days in Irpin helping to clear bricks and debris from a house which had been hit by a shell and almost completely burned out. It was a sad task, seeing a house and personal belongings so ruined, but fulfilling, knowing that the people who lived there (who luckily survived) will one day be able to rebuild their home. Despite the destruction, the heat, and the warnings not to go near a burned-out car because there could still be live munitions, there were moments of levity, too - shovelling bricks off an upper storey with Abba blasting from the speakers will stay with me a long time.

The day after I left Ukraine, a Russian missile hit a major children's hospital near the centre of Kyiv. As soon as they were allowed, Brave to Rebuild volunteers (and hundreds of others) were there to bring water, clear rubble, and help in any way they could. They continued to do so over subsequent days in the apartments also damaged in that morning's attacks.

To learn more about Brave to Rebuild, see https://bravetorebuild.in.ua/

For other verified volunteering opportunities in Ukraine, go to https://www.volunteeringukraine.com/en

Additional photo credits: Enrique Zanotta, Lena Arsenii, Darya Semiletova