BLITZ INTERVIEW: Patricia Shmorhun Hawrylyshyn - an entrepreneur rebuilding Ukraine, house by house, person by person.

Where are you from? And where are you now? Doing what?

I'm from Geneva, Switzerland, but currently living in Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine (relocated from Kyiv due to the war). I am the co-founder of MoveUkraine, a Ukrainian Charity Foundation. Currently, we are building homes (shelters and social apartment buildings) for internally displaced people and community-based rehabilitation centers for veterans and others in need. We are also improving and expanding animal shelters for pets displaced/abandoned due to the war.

(The work of MoveUkraine)

What kind of studies/work did you do previously? Where?

I have a B.A. in psychology from the University of Geneva and a master's in educational psychology and counseling from McGill University in Montreal. In Ukraine, I co-founded the Pechersk School International in Kyiv, am a partner in the Porcelain Medical Group in Kyiv and Bucha, and am the co-founder of the Bohdan Hawrylyshyn Family Foundation.

(Patricia with her team at Porcelain)

How has the war in Ukraine changed your life? Changed you personally?

It pretty much has changed all aspects of my life: It has changed the people I work with and serve. It has changed my family life in the sense that remaining in Ukraine during this war has brought stress to my children and relatives, despite being supportive and proud of our work. It has changed my social circles outside of Ukraine and strengthened those circles inside Ukraine. It has affected my financial situation. It has changed my perspective on geopolitics.

Personally, working with my husband for the first time, I'm discovering his competencies and realizing that ours are compatible.

(Patricia’s family)

What has surprised you most about Ukrainians these past couple of years? Good or bad?

I have discovered that I need to be very selective in filtering partners among the cities we work with, but I have also discovered the incredible resilience, creativity, and solidarity of Ukrainians in the face of this war. I have also discovered their deep attachment to their cultural identity and pride in being Ukrainians.

What are your plans?

Work-wise, I want to continue the work at MoveUkraine, contribute to the rebuilding of Ukraine's communities, and see my 29-year-old medical group, Porcelain, and its employees recover and prosper.

Personally - to get back to building my Ukrainian style home on the coast of Odesa, and be able to spend more time with our children, and hopefully soon resume my yearly walks across Ukraine.

How do you see the war ending and Ukraine returning to a normal life?

I am convinced that there will be a peace deal in 2025; there will be a new "normal" with the reintegration into society and rehabilitation of large numbers of veterans, internally displaced people, and returning refugees. Children and youth will carry a tremendous responsibility and hope for a just, peaceful, and prosperous Ukraine. Ukraine will undergo an economic revitalization as it begins to rebuild housing, schools, and other infrastructures.

Tell us one thing you don’t think people abroad know about Ukraine but they really should?

Ukraine has a 1,500-year history and has contributed to numerous scientific, technical, medical, and cultural advancements, which Russia has historically claimed as its own.

Ukraine suffered a genocide in 1932-1933, which Stalin orchestrated through a man-made famine - 8 million victims. Again, Russia historically denied that this happened, and this genocide has still not been recognized worldwide.

Ukraine is at the forefront of innovation in modern warfare, fashion, the arts, and technology.