RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS ALLIANCE FOR UKRAINE

In response to widespread need for emergency trauma first aid resulting from the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine launched the Individual First Aid Kits (IFAKs) Campaign to provide life-saving first aid kids and other medical supplies to Ukrainian hospitals and front-line communities. We raised more than $170,000 in charitable donations for IFAKs, tourniquets, chest seals, ultrasound equipment, pain relievers, cold medicine, and general medical supplies. Our volunteer team aggregated needs from trusted groups across Ukraine to coordinate the procurement and transportation of supplies with the benefit of bulk pricing, and delivered them to pickup points to confirm receipt by the intended beneficiaries. Our robust procurement and transportation network enabled us to facilitate the purchase and transportation of IFAKs on behalf of other organizations operating in Ukraine as well. Between purchases made from donated funds, and those facilitated on behalf of other organizations, we delivered more than $280,000 worth of emergency medical supplies to areas of urgent need.

Babusya's Kitchen Cookbook was originally written for Peace Corps Volunteers to use during their service in Ukraine. It included contributions from Peace Corps Volunteers, staff, and host families, providing instructions to make Ukrainian dishes at home and to recreate American and international favorites with the ingredients available at local markets in Ukraine. Equally important, it shared Volunteers' own favorite dishes from home. The RPCV Alliance for Ukraine, in direct support of the Peace Corps' 3rd goal to strengthen Americans' understanding of the world and its people, expanded and formally published Babusya's Kitchen in a hard-bound, full-color edition with photographs and anecdotes provided by our members to raise funds for Ukraine relief efforts. This RPCV Alliance for Ukraine edition of Babusya's Kitchen raises awareness of Ukraine's rich culinary contributions and inspires new American audiences to try Ukrainian cuisine, supporting the broader mission of preserving Ukrainian culture at a time when it is under threat. The book sold nearly 3,000 copies in its first year of publication. Sales and distribution are handled by Alliance volunteers, and 100 percent of net proceeds are dedicated to humanitarian aid, development, and cultural preservation projects in Ukraine. The proceeds raised from Babusya's Kitchen funded the launch of the Alliance's Peremoha Mini-Grants program to support small, local humanitarian aid projects in communities without much access to grant funding from other sources.