Please share a bit about yourself.
My name is Naomi, and I’m from the UK. I work as a physiotherapist in the NHS and community and love my job very much. My family has a dog called Ted, who is fluffy and loving, and we are very lucky. I am married, and I have a little daughter.
When you’re not being an incredible supporter, what keeps you busy?
Any free time I have is taken up by knitting teddies for the raffle and for the children. Or making keyrings. Any time I do have outside of this is taken up with spending time with my family.
What’s the driving force behind your decision to support Ukraine
It all started when I learned about the situation in Ukraine through a friend who’s a reporter (Tim White). Since then, I have been following the situation closely. I couldn’t believe what was happening. The destruction, the loss, the fear. I wanted to find a way to help. I started to make keyrings to sell to raise money. Then, I progressed to making teddies for the children in Ukraine and selling or raffling on Twitter to raise funds for organizations specifically helping there.
So far, it has worked well and raised quite a bit of money for Ukraine. I don’t keep any money – every penny goes to Ukraine. I give all my time for free to do these initiatives and will continue as long as needed.
And why do you support Dzyga’s Paw specifically?
I found Dimko first on Twitter by searching when I was trying to find all I could back in February 2022. I saw what he was doing to raise money to buy equipment to support his friends and then watched Dzyga’s Paw develop into the fantastic charity it is now.
I supported it because it was in Ukraine, run by Ukrainians for Ukrainians. I know any money sent to them is used best with complete transparency. It is great to see the work showcased on Twitter and the website and how the money raised is being used to help real soldiers in Ukraine have the necessary equipment.
What sets our fund apart in your eyes?
Complete transparency. I can donate and see it on the page immediately, so I know it arrived. I can see where the money is spent, and the equipment is going. The people at Dzyga’s Paw donate everything, time, and life; they go to the front lines to deliver it. Their support never falters.
Besides Dzyga’s Paw, do you support or follow other Ukrainian charities?
There are several organizations doing fantastic work in Ukraine that I support. These include 3xR renegade relief runners, Frontlinekit, and Gaz from the UK with the mine detectors (Gaz_EOD). Medics to medics in the UK who support surgeons in Ukraine, United24, and many others.
What would you like to tell the Ukrainian people?
Hold on – you’ve got this. It’s horrendous, but keep going. You have a lot of people from all over the world by your side. I never struggle to raise money – people care.
Most of the world’s governments care, too. They just take time to organize themselves. I suspect that their support will escalate, and help won’t stop.
