IIR Students Raise Over 118,000 UAH to Support Veterans Through Charity Project “Run for Life”

From April 21 to May 21, 2025, the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations (IIR) at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv held a large-scale charity initiative titled “Run for Life.” The project combined physical activity and volunteerism to raise funds for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian veterans returning to peaceful life after the war.

Teams from six academic programs of IIR took part in the initiative. Each team set up its own fundraising account, and participants committed to running 2 meters for every hryvnia donated. Over the course of 30 days, students ran at times and places convenient for them, recording their distances via the "Active Parks" mobile application. Team moderators updated the results daily.

Project results:
A total of 4,552 kilometers run and 118,283 UAH raised.

On May 22, 2025, an official award ceremony was held at the Institute to honor the winners and most active participants. In the team competition, first place went to the International Relations program (23,509 UAH), second to International Law (20,612 UAH), and third to International Communications (20,251 UAH).

Special recognition was awarded to students who covered the greatest distances:

Ostap Perehinyak (313 km) – overall winner.

Ihor Avdiiev (311 km) – second place.

Mykola Yurash (198 km) – third place.

Kateryna Lomazey received a special award for the longest single run (52 km).

The project was implemented with the support of partners: Smartass, Popko Brother Foundation, and the national initiative of the President of Ukraine “Active Parks,” who accompanied the project from start to finish.

“Run for Life” was not only a sporting challenge but also a powerful expression of unity within the student community, demonstrating that helping others is simple — all it takes is one step.