Ukrainian Action Facilitates Sister-City Agreement between Dubno, Ukraine, and Oxford, Ohio, USA
23 Apr 2024
Ukrainian Action Facilitates Sister-City Agreement between Dubno, Ukraine, and Oxford, Ohio, USA
Nonprofit organization co-founded and led by former US Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine plays key role in bringing two cities together
Mayors of both municipalities praised the American-Ukrainian bond during Russia’s war of aggression
Cross-cultural collaboration seen as pathway to peace
LONDON and OXFORD, Ohio—Aug. 1st, 2023—Ukrainian Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the survival and development of Ukraine, arranged the signing of a sister-city agreement on July 24 between Dubno, Ukraine, and Oxford, Ohio, USA.
“Together the two cities will work on a number of cultural exchanges and development projects. Ukrainian Action will be proud to participate where possible, and we wish both cities a long and prosperous relationship for many years ahead,” said Jeffrey Hartman, Ukrainian Action co-founder and CEO. “This type of cultural exchange helps Americans see that Ukrainians are like us: A people who believe that national sovereignty, civil liberties, human rights and democratic principles are worth fighting for.”
Hartman is a former Peace Corps Business Development Volunteer who lived near Dubno, Ukraine, from 2002-04. He is an alumnus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
He, his Ukrainian-born wife, Natasha Chingareva Hartman, and ice hockey teammate, Matthew Morgan, launched Ukrainian Action weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
The organization celebrated its 40th humanitarian-aid convoy to Ukraine at the end of July. Ukrainian Action has donated more than 200 trucks and $3 million worth of physical goods to the people of Ukraine. Those goods include medical equipment for frontline surgeons, protective clothing, power generators and educational materials. A convoy of vehicles, often including pickup trucks and ambulances, departs from London to Ukraine every two weeks. It boasts 35 volunteer members, more than 250 volunteer drivers and donors surpassing 1,200.
“We really think that at this time, with what's going on in the world, that a Ukrainian city is especially appropriate. We look forward to many years of cooperation and friendship,” said Bill Snavely, mayor of Oxford, Ohio.
“This agreement and collaboration will benefit our Ukrainian people in the fight against the aggressor who attacked our country. Ukrainians and Americans want the same thing: The right to self-governance and live in a free society supported by unwavering civil institutions,” said Vasyl Antoniuk, mayor of Dubno, Ukraine.
Dubno’s population was about 37,000 before Russia invaded last year. It is roughly 227 miles west of Kyiv and 103 miles northeast of Lviv. Oxford, Ohio, has a population of about 23,000.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the nonprofit Sister Cities International in 1956 during the “White House summit on citizen diplomacy, where he envisioned a network that would be a champion for peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world,” according to the Washington-based organization’s website. Eisenhower saw such a network as decreasing global conflict.
Ukrainian Action also supports the reconstruction of residential homes in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine, and supplies grants to a local Ukrainian charity providing free mental health care to women and children affected by the war. To date, the organization has disbursed over $55,000 in grant funding.
How to help
To donate or volunteer, please visit www.ukrainianaction.com. To buy Ukrainian Action merchandise to support the relief effort, please the organization’s online store. All profits go to support the delivery of trucks and materials to Ukraine. To follow Ukrainian Action on its social media accounts, please visit its Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
About Ukrainian Action
Headquartered in London, Ukrainian Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the survival and recovery of Ukraine. Co-founded weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, by CEO Jeffrey Hartman, his Ukrainian-born wife, Natasha Chingareva Hartman, and Matthew Morgan, Ukrainian Action has donated more than 200 trucks and $3 million worth of physical goods to the people of Ukraine. The organization boasts 35 volunteer members, more than 250 volunteer drivers and donors surpassing 1,200. Ukrainian Action is registered with the United Kingdom Charity Commission with UK Registered Charity Number 1202133, and is a U.S. tax-exempt public charity under 501(c)(3): FEIN 88-1173971. All donations from individual UK and U.S. taxpayers are tax-deductible. To learn more, please visit: www.ukrainianaction.com.
Media contact
Jeffrey Hartman
Co-founder and CEO
