Alla Kostyniak: The power of a woman humanitarian in Ukraine to raise the need and make a difference

I always dreamt of helping people and this influenced my choice for education. I am Alla Kostyniak, and it is my first year as World Vision’s Program Officer for the Ukraine Crisis Response in Ukraine.

I studied foreign languages at Chernivtsi National University and has served as a missionary in Nepal for three years teaching children from the lowest caste in the jungle.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought me back to Ukraine. The year 2022 is a whole new book with lots of pages in it. As a Ukrainian I keep remembering 24 February 2022 as a new era.

As the war started, I joined the church’s youth group to serve people with hot meals on the Romanian border. I spent days and nights helping people who were trying to get out of the country.

It was horrible to see people on the road without any sleep for days, some could not cross the border by themselves, so we carry them and provide medical aid.

I remember the moment at three in the morning when I went into the tent and started crying because I felt so helpless and miserable fighting such a despair too big for me to handle.

An opportunity came for me to become the head coordinator for Arms of Mercy, that eventually became World Vision’s active partner.

My role was to help displaced people coming to Chernivtsi, manage the humanitarian aid from our church networks abroad and deliver them to the frontline every day.

We always prayed for the drivers because we knew some of them were doing a dangerous job, and sadly some perished serving fellow Ukrainians in need.

Eventually, I found my way to World Vision starting with a phone call from James Orlando, World Vision’s Program Director with the Disaster Management team.

There is certain inspiration in seeing my colleagues’ devotion, persistence and support. I learned from them to either take things easy, or to fight till the end for causes that really matter.

Why Program Officer’s job? This position allows me to see the need, and serve as the bridge in communicating that reality from the ground.

I love being involved in the process of designing a project, addressing the needs in the process.

The biggest challenge I faced was my self-labeled “mine field”, learning to be able to perform my job well. Deployed teams who supported the Ukraine response at the start were fast coming in and out.

There was literally no time to get the guidance. I self-studied and learned from my mistakes.

There is certain inspiration in seeing my colleagues’ devotion, persistence and support. I learned from them to either take things easy, or to fight till the end for causes that really matter.

Whenever I am at a point of giving up, I open the folder with photo reports with these children’s smiles that became possible because humanitarians pushed a little harder to make things happen.

It gives me the inspiration and strength to move forward. I fully accepted by now that overcoming one more obstacle means one more person will receive support.

Being a humanitarian and a woman means that you have the power to make a difference and the right to speak up. There is always a room for development, and for your ideas to be noticed and appreciated.

All women should be treated with respect and dignity. For that reason, I will keep trying my best to open opportunities for a bright future for all people. I am hopeful to see the next pages of our journey together where we will keep serving millions of lives.

By Alla Kostyniak, Program Officer I Cover photos by Eugene Combo and Christopher Lete, Comms Specialists