The Nadiya Youth Initiative Charitable Foundation is a winner of the National Treasure Award: the award was received by Yevhen Khmara and Vita Prysyazhnyuk.

The Nadiya Youth Initiative Charitable Foundation won the National Treasure of the Nation Award in the Charitable Foundations category. The national award was presented to the foundation's co-founder Vita Prysyazhnyuk and its ambassador, renowned Ukrainian composer and virtuoso pianist Yevhen Khmara.

"This award is not just about volunteering. It is about the power of unity, joint good deeds and helping Ukraine in such difficult times. When philanthropists, businesses, volunteers and partners come together, we are capable of changing the country. Nadiya is an example of such unity, where aid never stops, because behind every shipment and every trip to the front line, there is a human life,” said Valerii Dubil, Chairman of the Fund’s Supervisory Board and First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health.

The Nadiya Foundation was recognised for its large-scale support of defenders, medics and people affected by the war. During the full-scale invasion, the team carried out 358 missions to the front, covering hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Regular assistance is provided to the Main Intelligence Directorate, the State Border Service, units of the National Guard, the National Police and the Armed Forces. The foundation provides the military with modern drones, electronic warfare systems, generators, Starlink devices, charging stations, vehicles and medical equipment, including more than two hundred EasyPulse resuscitation devices.

Since the beginning of the war, more than a thousand hospitals, clinics and first aid stations, as well as dozens of communities and 17 support hubs for displaced persons, have received assistance from the fund.

At a time when the world around us is darkened by war, there are people who refuse to let this darkness prevail. Hope is about just that. We have witnessed pain and loss, but we have also seen something else — how humanity is capable of performing miracles. How soldiers wait for volunteers with electronic warfare equipment, how doctors rejoice at life-saving equipment. And this award is about that: about goodness that is stronger than war," said Yevhen Khmara, composer and ambassador of the Hope Foundation.

After Yevhen Khmara's speech, Vita Prysyazhnyuk, co-founder of the foundation, addressed the audience: ‘This award is a recognition of the great team of partners, volunteers, and patrons who stand by us and help us every day. It is thanks to their support that the foundation can work and fulfil its mission — to save lives.’

The National Treasure of the Nation Award is an annual charity initiative created to honour those who work selflessly for Ukraine. Its founder and president is Tetiana Zabavska, head of the NGO Oberig Lyudstva (Guardian of Humanity). Awards are presented in four categories: Organisations, Charitable Foundations, Individuals, and Young Generation.

This year's winners include individuals and teams whose actions have become symbols of courage, bravery, and humanity:

Kyrylo Veres, Hero of Ukraine, commander of the K-2 unmanned systems regiment, is a legendary officer who implements new reconnaissance technologies and leads fighters in the most difficult areas of the front line.

The White Angel unit of the Donetsk National Police is a team that evacuates civilians from frontline towns under fire.

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine are the first responders after attacks, putting out fires, clearing debris and rescuing people.

Rehabilitation Forces of Ukraine — a nationwide recovery movement that brings together doctors, psychologists and rehabilitation specialists to help veterans and their families;

Volunteer Battalion — a large team of volunteers who have been actively working and helping our Armed Forces since the beginning of the war in 2014;

Kyrylo Illiashenko, a young man from Sumy who rushed to rescue passengers from the ‘death bus’ during Russian shelling, is an example of true courage that inspires the whole country.

The Treasure of the Nation Award is not just a ceremony, but a recognition of those who carry Ukraine on their shoulders. Among these people is the team of the Nadiya Youth Initiative Charitable Foundation, which proves every day that even in the darkest times, kindness, compassion and humanity remain the strongest weapons.