Hello, I am Valeria Kholodova, and I would like to tell you about my professional experience.
I graduated from Donetsk National University, Faculty of Cultural Studies, specialising in Jewish Studies.From 2004 to 2014, I worked at the Hesed Tzedakah Jewish Charitable Foundation in Donetsk, where I held the position of programme manager. In 2010, we opened the centre of the international Jewish student organisation Hillel, which was successfully operating until the outbreak of hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
In 2014, I moved to Kyiv and became the regional programme manager of Hillel CASE, where I still work today. In the same year, together with Alena Druzhynina, in partnership with Joint and Hillel, we created the Volunteer Community project. This project has become the largest volunteer network in the post-Soviet countries.
From 2018 to 2024, I was the head of the Taste of Life humanitarian project, which helped Jewish families with children. Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, I managed the project «For life» which provided members of the Jewish communities with food, hot meals, and medical assistance.Since the beginning of the full-scale war, I have been in charge of the humanitarian direction of the LifeChanger Foundation.
I have devoted all my conscious and unconscious time to the Jewish world and social and charitable work. Today I want to continue to help Jewish families with children who are in difficult life circumstances. in difficult life circumstances. This is connected to my personal experience. My son and I have been refugees for ten years. During this time, there were many difficulties, but there were always people who lent a helping hand.
I know that timely help can save lives, restore faith and help you get back on your feet. I want to help those who need it today.