Our small group helps through education, job training, research, finding solutions to governmental problems, legal and financial support as well as providing jobs here and outside of Ukraine. But the most important part of our work is our unwavering belief in and the support for Ukraine in its desire to move towards the West. Most young Ukrainians want this western way of life with our norm, beliefs, with open and transparent standards of business and the rule of law. These topical phrases, while new for Ukraine and all of the former Soviet states are simply the normal, everyday, usual business for us back home. In the face of many difficult and unique problems working here in such a harsh environment, where graft, intimidation and corruption touch every aspect of daily life, and which unfortunately is accepted by most here, we have not lost hope nor given in to the threats we have received. We want to and will stay and continue our work. And with your support and prayers, we will continue in helping others to learn about our freedoms and to believe in them as we do.

Since the founding of Two Freedoms Foundation in October 2001, we have provided help and support for many here, foreigners and citizens alike. Traveling from the northern border with Russia to the southern shores of the Black Sea in Crimea, we have built trust and made friends based on those values we brought with us from home. The trust that is so important for our work here was gained slowly and with great patience from both sides. It was given to us by the students and their parents, villagers, neighbors, deputies and mayors, and business owners. Our friends come from the beautiful valleys of the western Carpathian Mountains to the industrial areas of eastern Ukraine. We continue to help with mission workers in and around Feodosiya and Kirovske. We have had success teaching and sharing with students and families in major cities including Odessa, Simferopol, Zaporohzia and Lviv. One of our most rewarding times was providing equipment, financial and moral support to the children and the wonderful dedicated staff of the Zovtneva Orphanage in Krivoy Rig in central Ukraine. We also were helping to prepare and process young Ukrainians for jobs on cruise ships leaving from America.

And in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, where we met and worked together with some very special government deputies and their staff in assisting small businesses with registration and licensing problems. Working together we were successful in finding the solutions needed. Finally returning to eastern Ukraine and Dnipropetrovs’k, our home here where we successfully formed and started two new companies without paying any special fees. These companies were to be operated for and by young Ukraine professionals. Two Freedoms Foundations provided the framework for them to gain daily experience using western standards of business and hopefully the businesses would be profitable and able to help support the charitable work of the Foundation.