On the eve of Eurovision 2024, alyona alyona & Jerry Heil, Oschadbank, Visa and UNITED24 launched a UAH 10 million fundraiser for the restoration of the destroyed gymnasium in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast

KYIV, April 25, 2024

This year's representatives of Ukraine at Eurovision 2024, alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, as well as Oschadbank, Visa and UNITED24, launched the "My Voice Rebuilds" campaign to raise funds for the restoration of a gymnasium in Velyka Kostromka, Dnipropetrovsk oblast.

The left wing of the educational facility was completely destroyed by Russian troops on October 11, 2022. Before the war, the gymnasium building housed a kindergarten, a workshop, a classroom for after-school activities, a gym, and a sports hall. Since October 2022, about 250 students have not had a permanent place to study.

"Amid the current demographic crisis in Ukraine, society's efforts should be aimed at ensuring that as many children as possible plan to build their future in our country. To this end, we need to create conditions so that children can continue their education here. The restoration of the Velyka Kostromka gymnasium is a step that gives hope that we will be able to retain young people, without whom the development of Ukraine is impossible," commented Serhii Naumov, Oschadbank Chairman of the Board.

"This project is a logical continuation of the efforts that Oshchadbank and our partners are making to help Ukrainian education. Thus, together with Visa, we initiated the project 'Give Shelter to Children', thanks to which shelters for safe education were arranged in secondary schools in Shostka (Sumy oblast) and Snihurivka (Mykolaiv oblast). We understand how important the continuity of the educational process is for Ukrainian schoolchildren and therefore plan to implement similar projects in the future," said Anton Tiutiun, Oschadbank Deputy Chairman of the Board.

The financial goal of the fundraising initiative is to collect at least UAH 10 million for the restoration of the gymnasium. Donations can be made through the project page on the UNITED24 website. Additionally, Visa and Oschadbank will match all respective payments made with Visa and Oschadbank cards.

"For Visa, it is important to support charitable projects that fundamentally change the lives of local communities. In addition, we believe in online charity as a tool that enables the organic engagement of millions of people in charitable initiatives. This time, we have joined forces with representatives of Ukraine at Eurovision 2024, Oschadbank and UNITED24 for the special purpose of giving students of the Velyka Kostromka gymnasium a chance for in-person education and communication. Due to convenient and safe digital payments from Visa, everyone can join the initiative in a few clicks: Visa and Oschadbank will match the charitable contributions made with Visa cards from Oschadbank," said Svitlana Chyrva, Visa Vice President, Country Manager for Ukraine and Moldova.

The "My Voice Rebuilds" campaign takes place in the context of Eurovision 2024. The song "Teresa & Maria" by representatives of Ukraine at Eurovision 2024, alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, is dedicated to the strength, courage, and resilience of Ukrainian women. Among them are Liudmyla Taranovych and Tetiana Mahda, teachers at the Velyka Kostromka gymnasium. Children and their education are a subject close to the artists’ hearts, since alyona alyona used to herself work with children as a kindergarten teacher.

"Thanks to Ukrainians and their free choice, we have become the face of Ukraine at the main song contest in Europe. This is a very responsible task! We must not only convey to all of Europe that the Ukrainian song has come a long way and every year becomes more and more powerful and important in the world, but also talk about the pressing issues arising in these difficult times. Joining forces with VISA, Oschadbank, and UNITED24, we strive to rebuild the Velyka Kostromka gymnasium in Dnipropetrovsk oblast, destroyed by the enemy, so that the students can as soon as possible return to a place with a wonderful past and an equally wonderful future. We are united, and each of us must bring our victory closer—through music, words, and actions," said rapper alyona alyona.

"Maksym Rylskyi once said a legendary phrase: ‘One who does not remember their past is not worthy of their future.’ Therefore, rebuilding the school for us means rebuilding the past in order to be able to continue building the future—not only that of Ukraine but of the whole world. After all, even now, during the war, Ukraine creates so much, in particular, in the cultural arena, and the cultural growth of the nation is possible only with proper education. This contest, both for Ukraine and for us, is an opportunity to make Ukrainian music heard not only at Eurovision but every day—on a permanent basis. When people hear the country's music, they hear the voice of its people, discover it personally, and therefore feel that there are the same people here with the same feelings and dreams. However, for many Ukrainians, dreams have now descended to the basic level—for instance, owning a home. That is why we chose a key as a symbol of our mission—a symbol of a phantom home, which a person still feels but will never return to. However, everything material can be rebuilt, and we urge everyone to do it together for the sake of a common peaceful future," said Jerry Heil, Ukrainian singer, hitmaker, songwriter, and co-founder of the Nova Music label.

The charity campaign will last for a month, from April 25 to May 25. All benefactors can quickly and conveniently donate to the restoration of the educational institution via the link.

"Almost 2,000 Ukrainian schools were destroyed by missiles and shells. Russia deprived our children of the opportunity not only to receive a quality education but also to grow in a circle of friends. Thanks to the joint fundraiser with alyona alyona x Jerry Heil, we will be able to draw the world's attention to this problem and return childhood to 250 students at the Velyka Kostromka gymnasium. We are sincerely grateful to our longstanding partner "Aurora" for the first contribution and want to motivate everyone to participate. That is why everyone who makes a donation of 100 hryvnias or more for the restoration of the gymnasium can participate in the drawing of a personal video message from alyona alyona and Jerry Heil," commented Yaroslava Gres, coordinator of the UNITED24 platform.

About Oshchadbank

Oshchadbank is the leading Ukrainian universal commercial bank, 100% of whose shares belong to the state. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Oschadbank, as a systemically important bank, has concentrated its primary efforts on ensuring smooth operation at all levels. Understanding the importance of restoring life in the de-occupied territories as soon as possible, Oschad promptly resumes its work there. The bank has the largest network of 1200 branches and provides services to more than 6.2 million customers.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.