John Shmorhun is a US-born son of Ukrainian migrants from Slovyansk and Lviv. After serving 10 years as an officer and pilot in the US Navy, John worked internationally, including in Ukraine, for DuPont de Nemours for 20 years before founding a large agricultural company in Ukraine in 2009.
His wife Patricia Shmorhun-Hawrylyshyn, is the daughter of Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, a renowned economist, visionary, and philanthropist. She grew up in Switzerland and graduated as a psychologist.
She moved to Kyiv in 1992 and cofounded Porcelain, a Dental and Ophthalmology Group in Kyiv and Bucha, in 1995. In addition, she co-founded PSI, Pechersk School International in Kyiv in 1995, and the Bohdan Havrylyshyn Family Foundation in 2017.
Shortly after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, John and Patricia co-founded the MoveUkraine Charitable Foundation. The foundation focuses on building and rebuilding housing for internally displaced people in and community-based rehabilitation centres for veterans and civilians in Ukraine.
So far, the organisation has raised $3.5 million in donations, which have helped build accommodations for 1,250 displaced Ukrainians across 20 co-founded, fully furnished, and equipped projects.
1.
Patricia shares that before the full-scale invasion began, she and John decided to stay in Ukraine.
‘At the time, of course, there was a lot of talk about Russia attacking, our friends and family abroad urging us to leave. But we knew, deep down, we were going to stay. We didn’t know what to do at that time if the war started, but we knew we would do something. We didn’t want to leave a country we loved, where we’d made a life for ourselves. Not only that, but we couldn’t just leave our friends and colleagues behind.’
At the time of the invasion, Patricia and John were in different cities — she was in Kyiv, and he was in Lviv on business. She left the city after two weeks to join him in Lviv. At first, the couple volunteered: they collected funds for a Ukrainian charity addressing the emergency needs of Ukrainians affected by the war. However, they quickly realised an urgent need to house the growing number of internally displaced people (IDP) and alleviate the soaring housing crisis. Ukrainians from the most affected regions were evacuated to safer areas in the west of the country, with hundreds of thousands forced to live in railway stations, school gyms, and hospitals.
‘We were so shocked by this situation that we decided to focus on providing dignified housing for those displaced victims of the war. That’s how MoveUkraine was founded in May 2022.’
Eventually, John and Patricia moved to and opened their office in Ivano-Frankivsk to work on their first project in the region, renovating a school in the village of Mostyshche into a fully furnished and equipped temporary shelter for 19 people. This was followed by a dormitory renovation that housed 150 IDPs in the Stryi, Lviv region. Later, it was handed over to the city of Stryi. They also renovated a destroyed residential building of 40 apartments in Irpin and homes in Makariv (Kyiv region), a family house in Kolomyia for a foster family from Kherson with 10 children, and two further projects in Kharkiv city and region in 2023.
The charity expanded its work to social apartment buildings — individual flats for IDPs. The first three were in the city of Drohobych, in the Lviv region, and another apartment building is in progress in the town of Poltava.
Other projects, such as a free training centre for IDPs and a children’s hospital in Stryi, have already been completed.
2.
The people who live in temporary shelters are families with children, the elderly, and disabled people.
Patricia says that the housing is designed to serve as temporary accommodation for 5 years. Memorandums of agreement are signed with the relevant municipalities so they can manage the properties and the residents.
Some younger residents eventually find jobs and move to more permanent accommodation, renting their own places or moving into one of the very few social flats available. The elderly and disabled tend to remain in the shelters. Most, however, dream of returning home.
‘MoveUkraine’s motto is ‘Homes, Jobs, Lives’, says Patricia, ‘so housing people is not enough. It is essential to help them get jobs and build lives to recover their dignity. So, MoveUkraine monitors the lives in its buildings through regular visits and connects the residents with the different local services available to them and the NGOs providing them, amongst other things, with psychological support.
All shelter housing projects have been about renovating existing municipal buildings proposed by the various local administrations.
‘After the decentralisation reform, many buildings such as outpatient clinics, schools, dormitories, and village halls became disused.
Those are the buildings that were offered to MoveUkraine for temporary shelter housing. The first step in MoveUkraine’s strategy is to gather information. Its survey assesses the local IDP population needing housing, the building’s technical aspects (electricity, water, and gas), social infrastructure (public transport, schools, hospitals), employment opportunities, and sustainability.
The second step is a series of meetings with the local administration to agree on their participation in the project and its management. A list of future residents for the project and the signing of a memorandum of understanding confirm a clear working partnership with the municipality.
Of course, there is always a risk: the municipality may be slow to make decisions, not fulfill its obligations, or mismanage its budget. Nevertheless, every project eventually comes to fruition.
The next step involves budgeting and raising funds. Each project results from co-funding with the municipalities and the different local and international NGOs active in Ukraine.
After the project is completed and officially opened, the building becomes the responsibility of the local administration, which pays utility bills and the commandant’s or house manager’s salary. Residents pay for the internet and follow a chore schedule for cleaning the common space, gardening, social activities, etc.
3.
In 2024, MoveUkraine activity expanded into building or renovating decentralized rehabilitation centres for veterans and civilians in local communities.
‘Of course, there are public and private rehabilitation centres in Kyiv, Dnipro, and other major centres, with the well-known Superhuman Center in Lviv. But there are very few. We think it’s important to build rehabilitation centres in local communities, as they are closer to nature, and veterans can have the support of family and friends.
MoveUkraine, therefore, created a modular building project connected to a cluster hospital(a hospital located in a small community that includes different types of hospitals—author’s note) by a tunnel. This works when the hospital already cares for veterans but needs more space and equipment for inpatient or outpatient care. The modular building model is duplicable because it is economical in cost and construction time while guaranteeing high-quality facilities and training.
Patricia says, ‘This decentralized approach follows the same principle that MoveUkraine has developed for housing: a strong partnership with the local community and regular monitoring.’
Move Ukraine recently opened its first rehabilitation centre in Burshtyn, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, and is currently building five more similar projects in Ternopil, Dykanka, Kobeliaky, and Kitsman.
We collaborate only with public hospitals that provide a comprehensive package of assistance for veterans from the Ministries of Health and Defence, and are already engaged in rehabilitation that encompasses the centers’ operations and treatment packages.
‘We are working at the speed of the war in Ukraine, the circumstances demand it. War is fast, and we have to be even faster.’
The most recent initiative is MUSE-pet, a project to enhance and improve dog/pet shelters.
‘People who evacuate from dangerous areas have pets. Of course, they can take small pets, but what about the big ones? Most become displaced. We do not want these animals to be left hungry, ill, and homeless. The Swiss MoveUkraine branch is also raising funds for this project.
Other MoveUkraine activities follow the mottos “Jobs” and “Lives”; they encourage and direct IDPs to retraining centres, job offices, and sites.
Patricia believes that dental health is a basic need. That’s why MoveUkraine has also developed a free dental treatment program in partnership with local clinics, offering examination, cleaning, diagnosis, and, when prescribed, treatment. The first program served 150 IDPs in Ivano-Frankivsk. The second one serves 66 children and 80 IDPs in Poltava.
American sponsors and volunteers of the MoveUkraine organisation lead the KidskonnectUkraine project, aimed at school students in Ukraine, displaced or not, to help with socialization and improve their mental state. They regularly communicate online and have common projects with American students in the USA.
‘Although they have completely different realities now, they have much in common, like grades at schools, favourite films, music, and key youth trends. This fosters a sense of empathy and solidarity between these middle schoolers. In this way, we want to show that the children in Ukraine are not forgotten and have much to share during this war.’
‘We also have volunteers from America who come to Ukraine every spring to create ‘Victory Gardens’ in our housing properties.
This idea is not new; it is borrowed from Great Britain, where people planted or seeded plants that bear fruit and vegetables during WWII to feed themselves and survive. The project was called “Dig for Victory.” Similarly, our IDPs plant and maintain gardens near their temporary homes and care for them.
4.
In addition to Patricia and John, ten people work in the MoveUkraine team. The foundation’s director is university professor Antonina Berezovenko.
‘She constantly pushes us to follow due procedure and keeps our documentation and accounting as required by law, as a director should do [laughs]. We have known her for many years; she is trustworthy and does an incredible job.’
The organisation has a relatively diverse team. One project manager is an internally displaced hotel entrepreneur, originally from Berdiansk, who refused to take a Russian passport and was able to evacuate to Ivano-Frankivsk. Another is a construction engineer who has been displaced from Kyiv. An experienced civil servant from Kalush is a project coordinator, and five employees from Ivano-Frankivsk work in marketing, warehousing, furniture design and production, administration, and legal coordination. Accounting and auditing are outsourced to a reputable fiduciary.
“Our latest hire is a young veteran of 24 years of age, discharged as an officer due to his amputated leg. His 2-year rehabilitation experience in and outside Ukraine and other skills make him a valuable advisor and monitor for our rehabilitation centres.”
5.
MoveUkraine has provided homes for people from the eastern regions of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Odesa, Kyiv and Donetsk.
Those people may come from different locations, social statuses, and ages but have one thing in common: they have lost their homes, which are destroyed, inhabitable, inaccessible, or occupied territories.
Another thing they have in common is that these people had a normal life, a job, and a social and family life until Russia attacked and destroyed everything.
I feel connected to these people. Could we have been in their desperate position if mine and John’s parents had not moved abroad during WWII?”
Once a building is constructed or renovated and people have moved in, the organisation does not abandon them. On the contrary, they try to visit them regularly, ask about their needs, and celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries together. Patricia shares that each person has an individual, complicated story: someone’s child went missing in the war, someone’s husband is at war or has died, and another has disappeared or been badly wounded.
However, there are positive and inspiring stories as well, one of them being the following:
Soon after moving in, the 28 IDPs in one of the shelter homes wanted to rename it.
‘We have a tradition — after the project is completed, we put up a beautiful marble sign and name the house after the primary donor. And so, one day, a month after the opening of the house in Bodnariv, the residents called us and said, ‘You know what? We want to rename our house Mlyn…’ The Windmill.
They created a logo and painted it on the entrance wall of the house — I’m telling you, this is our most creative house. Why is it called that? They say every person here is a grain of wheat the mill grinds to make flour and bake bread, the basis of life, shares Patricia. When we invited them to celebrate Christmas in another of our shelter homes in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, they came wearing T-shirts they had created with our and their logos on them. Later, the main donor of this house signed their name on the T-shirts.”
Patricia says she is inspired and impressed by the people who live in the shelters.
‘I have absolute admiration and respect for everyone who has moved into the houses we have built. They are people of incredible resilience and strength. Of course, sometimes they get sad, cry, and want to go home. But every morning, they wake up, shower, get dressed and make great efforts to live peacefully in the same house with people they did not know 2 years ago. And besides this, they have an important task – to rebuild their own lives, to put them back together piece by piece. And this is not their choice, but something they have to live with every day.’
6.
Patricia is convinced that their organisation’s activities will remain relevant even after the war in Ukraine ends.
‘We understand that thousands of people will be unable to return to their homes immediately because many have nowhere to go.
In addition to housing, it is also significant to help them rebuild their lives where they are, especially for those who suffer from PTSD. I know what it is because I also react emotionally to loud noises – we have all become very sensitive to this. Of course, we talk a lot about how to treat these people, how to help them, and what will happen next. For example, last week, our organisation participated in a forum organised by Poland and Switzerland called ‘Rebuild Ukraine’.
We discussed the economic and psychological aspects of rebuilding and rehabilitating the country on the forum. We know for sure that we will not stop helping the IDPs. As a non-governmental organisation, we have significant advantages because we are faster than the government in raising funds from international foundations, but we also work with individuals. Since John and I come from business backgrounds, we understand how to speed up, simplify and automate processes. I see the future of the foundation in cooperation and uniting local authorities, the community, and the IDP community, empowering them financially, and continuing to work on rehabilitation centres.”
In the meantime, the organisation is ready to help IDPs rebuild their businesses and realise their dreams.
‘In April, we decided to help the “Chill Cafe” owners financially. Their café used to be located in Irpin but was destroyed by Russian tanks. They have got an interest-free loan of $25,000 to rebuild the café. Now, it is open and popular among the locals.
In the shelter in Shevchenkove, we have a wonderful young woman who works as a commandant but is also an internally displaced person living in the same building. She dreams of starting her own business and raising chickens. Every night, she sits at the computer, reads a lot, and learns about business, looking for grants and various opportunities. We decided to find donors for her to finance the purchase of incubators.(an interview was recorded in 2024 now, the organization financed the business idea – Author’s note)
But at the same time, Patricia says it’s sometimes too early to talk about starting a business by IDPs.
‘I talk to people who live in shelters all the time. I tell them they can open as a sole trader, write a business plan, and we will help them purchase tools or equipment for their business. But I see those people are still not ready for such conversations. They dream of returning home, of the end of the war, and worry about their loved ones. Their biggest wish is to have stability and start rebuilding their lives.’
Patricia also says that despite all the difficulties faced by the IDPs, they are strong and resilient.
‘When I returned to Switzerland, I met people who were upset because the train was 3 minutes late. Then I told them a story about how it used to take me 5 hours to get from Ukraine to Switzerland, and now it takes 14 hours because of border crossings, changes in transport and the closed airspace in Ukraine. Many of those who have never seen war take many things for granted. They ask me why I can’t return and live a normal life. My mother, who is now 94, my children, and my friends live in Switzerland, and they are worried. But despite all the destruction and suffering that the Russians are causing us, despite the terrible reality, I see the best of humanity the best of humanity in Ukraine every day, in the people, young and old, in doing small or big to support the war effort, on the military or the civilian side. And this gives is what gives me hope for the future that Ukraine is fighting for. I also believe that the people for whom our organisation builds housing can teach us all a lesson in resilience — look at them: their homes have been destroyed, they had to sleep at train stations or in gyms, and they can still smile and rebuild lives.”
In addition, Patricia believes it is crucial to create good living conditions in Ukraine so that people who have evacuated abroad will be motivated to return.
‘Every war ends. Sooner or later, the fighting in Ukraine will end. People will want to come back, but we need to think about them now — to create better conditions in school so kids can study, improve infrastructure and build houses. We must make them feel welcome at home and know there is a place to return to. It is important to take care of the people who stayed in Ukraine. But we also need to think about what we can offer to those who want to return. Some will remain abroad, of course, which is a natural, logical process; we also need Ukrainians abroad — professional, intelligent, and fluent in foreign languages to represent Ukraine.’
Author — Rostyslava Martyniuk
Editor of English language — Helen Lewis
Editor of Ukrainian language — Anastasia Zanuzdanova
Photo credit — organisation “MoveUkraine” and Lorenzo Moscia
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