Charity is the selfless provision of assistance to people in need. Charitable activities can be carried out personally or through charitable organizations.
Charity in Ukraine has a long history, which we will discuss today
Kievan Rus and the Hetmanate.
The birth of charity.
After the Baptism of Rus, the concept of help was based on love for one's neighbor and Christian values, and the main segments of the population in need of assistance were the sick, orphans, beggars, and widows.
Volodymyr the Great introduced the tenth to support churches, monasteries, and hospitals.
Charitable activities of Ukrainian brotherhoods (15th-17th centuries).
They functioned as Ukrainian religious and nationalist organizations under the Orthodox Church that fought against Polish Catholicization and defended Orthodox traditions, religious, political, national, cultural, and class rights of Ukrainians.
They paid great attention to charity and philanthropy, created hospitals, orphanages, and schools, helped the poor, the needy, and orphans, founded schools, and later began book publishing and cultural and educational activities.
Medieval hospitals in Lviv.
Ukrainians were not allowed to be admitted to Polish hospitals. Therefore, Ukrainian brotherhoods joined the creation and maintenance of hospitals. The poor and needy, as well as sick citizens of Lviv and other cities, could receive help and money for food.
Charity in the 19th and 20th centuries.
With the formation of Ukrainian civil society, charity became even more active. Patrons and philanthropists invested in the development of art, organized exhibitions, actively helped schools and hospitals, and took care of the needy.
During the First World War, they actively raised funds for injured soldiers. At that time, the first organizations began to form.
Modern charity
Modern charity has acquired a variety of types of assistance through grants, donations, foundations, organizations, and legalization of charitable activities.
Since 2014, Ukraine has risen in the World Giving Index, an annual study of charity in the world conducted by the Charities Aid Foundation. In 2014, Ukraine was ranked 103rd, and in 2015 it was 89th. Charity in Ukraine became even more active after the Revolution of Dignity, the fighting in the East of Ukraine, and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Given the current challenges of Ukrainian society, volunteer and charitable organizations are gaining even more trust, attracting a large amount of financial and human resources and are important factors of unity in overcoming the challenges facing our nation.