photo: Tvoe Misto
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The production of unloading vests for the military was established by a bartender, co-owner of the «Sino Experimental» bar in the centre of Lviv, Andrii Osypchuk, together with the architect and owner of the architectural design studio «G.space», Bohdan Holian. As Andrii Osypchuk noted in the video story project «On the First Line», launched by «Tvoe Misto» media hub, an enormous request started from the very beginning of their activity.
«The idea wasn’t born, we had already entered this story. A friend of mine became a platoon commander. When we started equipping him, looking for bulletproof vests, helmets, unloading vests, we realized one fact that it is impossible to buy or find them. There was a lack of everything we needed, and we started looking for all sorts of options,» – says Andrii Osypchuk, who, by the way, entered the top 10 best bartenders in the world according to the «World Class» in 2021.
According to him, their small sewing shop, which used to make things for the restaurant business, was quickly reformatted into sewing «unloadings».
«They made, we sent, posted it on Instagram, and a big request started. Simultaneously, we started fundraising for the purchase of material,» – the bar’s co-owner adds.
Read also: «To take the wounded over the night, we drive to the touch.» war story of a paramedic
The girls in the sewing shop work in two shifts: from early in the morning until late at night. Now, they have even added a third shift to speed up the process, as the demand for «unloadings» is quite high.
Everything sewn is passed on to the front by acquaintances or those who need it the most. At first, the initiators spent their own money, and later, they started looking for funding from volunteer organizations. The whole process was set up as quickly as possible – there are specific tasks and specific goals. Therefore, there are plans to increase production at the expense of the third shift to 100 units per day.
«One thing motivates: the whole country is so united that you can not just sit at home and watch TV. The latter would have no sense. And everyone should be able to join and help. We need to win this war together,» – Andrii Osypchuk adds.
You can support the initiative by this bank account:
BENEFICIARY – OSYPCHUK ANDRII
IBAN – UA173052990000026209880024613
ACCOUNT – 4731219120242270
BANK OF BENEFICIARY – JSC CB PRIVATBANK, 1D HRUSHEVSKOHO STR., KYIV, 01001, UKRAINE
SWIFT CODE/BIC: PBANUA2X
CORRESPONDENT ACCOUNT – 0011000080
INTERMEDIARY BANK – JP MORGAN CHASE BANK
It will be recalled that the media hub «Tvoe Misto» has launched a project «On the First Line», narrating the stories about those who help Ukrainians during the war – on the front line or in the rear. This is a series of short videos about war heroes, their systematic work in defence of the country and their hometowns. The video are published in two languages: Ukrainian and English.
Translated by Vitalii Holich
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.