On the Front Lines with Jim Loftus and Sean Kennedy of Vostok SOS USA
On the Front Lines with Jim Loftus and Sean Kennedy of Vostok SOS USA
One year ago, Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine leaving many Ukrainians in search of humanitarian aid. Like many across the country, resilient citizens banded together to support one another. Among them is Vostok SOS, a Ukrainian-based non-governmental organization that aims to provide comprehensive assistance to victims of military aggression.
Americans Sean Kennedy and Jim Loftus have spent the past six months working with Vostok SOS leadership to create a US-based sister organization to support their work on the other side of the world. Earlier this month, the two arrived in Ukraine to learn more about the challenges Vostok SOS faces every day on the front lines.
What is Vostok SOS USA? Why was it created?
Sean Kennedy: Vostok SOS USA is the American sister organization to Vostok SOS, a Ukrainian group that was formed in 2014 after the initial Russian invasion of Crimea-Donbas. People displaced by that initial invasion formed Vostok SOS to help other displaced people. When the new invasion began a year ago, Vostok SOS really grew. I met with Vostok SOS in August of 2022 and they were not raising funds in the United States, nor receiving a ton of media attention. We set up Vostok SOS USA here to perform those two functions and serve as an advocacy group in the States - whether it be with government entities or other NGOs.
Jim Loftus: Vostok SOS’s name is significant because it is the Russian word for “east”. They intentionally kept that name, because Vostok leaders come from a region of Ukraine that is ethnically Russian, with many speaking Russian or identifying with Russia. Some in the West, given the understandable anti-Russian sentiment across Ukraine, question this, but Vostok is pointedly keeping the name to signify that this is their origin language. I think that’s a really telling and moving sign of their sense of democracy and equity through all this. Of course, Vostok’s mission has grown beyond the eastern region, as there are displaced people across the country.
You both took a trip to Ukraine earlier this month. What made you want to enter the front lines? What did Vostok SOS USA do while there?
Jim Loftus: When we discussed going to Ukraine, I think both of us unflinchingly said yes. It was an opportunity to see what this organization does and to get a feel for how they operate and what challenges they face. Vostok SOS is very aware of the safety of their people, so the places we went to never felt menacing. That being said, there were Russian missile and drone attacks everywhere we had just been. We felt like we were a step and a half ahead of Russian missiles, which is interesting.
Sean Kennedy: I think the only way to learn what an organization does is to spend time with people on the ground. We were there with them in meetings with the United Nations World Food Program, the U.S. Embassy and we also went out in the field with the people working in food distribution, sheltering and counseling. Additionally, we visited shelters for women and children that not only provide counseling for normal trauma and relationships, but the trauma accelerated by war as well. We walked away with a much better understanding of what the organization does, how they function and how they provide support.
Jim Loftus: Their counseling is essential. Counseling is available for everything from legal problems, like dealing with lost documents, to the trauma associated with having to evacuate their homes. They also provide psychological counseling for victims of the endemic and horrific sexual violence. What Vostok SOS offers is incredibly important to Ukrainians who have been traumatized across the board. They are taking a holistic approach to challenges beyond the food and hygiene boxes - like providing long-term housing, especially for women and children.
What is the biggest need among the Ukrainian people?
Sean Kennedy: Everyone’s needs are different. We watched them pull out a whole train of people - which is an everyday occurrence - and those people’s needs are very different from someone who had Russians come through their village a year ago, or someone who has had their home destroyed. The hub of Vostok’s operation is a hotline service staffed by four people. All day every day, they connect people with psychologists, lawyers, counselors, facilitators, evacuation directors and more. They’ll send someone directly to you. Unemployment is also very high, so not only are people displaced, but they can’t find jobs.
Jim Loftus: When helping displaced people, not only is Vostok SOS physically providing for them, but they’re helping people regain a sense of control over their own lives. It’s as simple as having someone watch a mother’s children while she takes an hour to talk to someone like a psychologist or lawyer. It may be the first time in months that she’s had a breather. There’s a really human element to their work and it’s impressive to see them sensitive to things like that.
What surprised you most about your trip?
Jim Loftus: The most surprising thing to me was the steeliness across the board among Ukrainians. You never know what someone’s attitude or mindset is until you come into a conflict zone like this and broadly, I think Ukrainians are steadfastly resolved to drive the Russians off every square inch of Ukrainian territory. I detected no ambivalence on whether this war needs to continue; they don't feel that they have a choice. I've heard dozens of times that Ukrainians say they hear people in the West talking about this conflict starting World War III. To Ukrainians, this is World War III. They don't want U.S. troops in Ukraine; they want U.S. armament; they want ammunition and the ability to defend their own country. It's very moving.
Sean Kennedy: I knew that Ukraine was as big as Texas, but traveling through Ukraine, I got the sense of how broad an area was actually affected. It is a big country, and it's hard to move around, but it's doable. It's amazing that all these relief supplies are getting to where they're needed, despite the logistical challenges. Vostok SOS is putting out well over a thousand boxes to families per day. It's an amazing logistics operation and they’re working in some of the harshest conditions over a vast expanse of land.
How can Americans support Vostok SOS USA and displaced people living in Ukraine?
Sean Kennedy: Our goal is to stay very flat and maybe have one or two employees maximum as we grow this organization. Since the war, Vostok SOS has spent about 4 million euros and we want to make sure we can raise enough money to help them do more over the next year. This organization is really about raising money and we encourage people to donate and to get other people to donate. This organization is doing amazing things with what they’ve been able to raise in Europe. Raising money in the United States can really give them the fuel they need. We also appreciate connections to larger fundraisers with institutional organizational contacts that they believe can provide larger amounts of financing, grants, donations, etc.
Jim Loftus: Our ambition back in Washington is to start a working group of people who understand how grants work. We hope to build a volunteer back office that can handle a lot of the grant writing so that Vostok SOS doesn’t have to try and do that on the frontlines in a different language. This is going to go on for years and we want to put them in the right position to maximize absorption of available funds to do the work they’re doing.
You can make a donation to Vostok SOS USA directly on their website. If you have additional questions about how to make a Wire or ACH transfer, email vostok.sos.usa@gmail.com.
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