Earlier this week, Edem and my father both signed up for the territorial defense forces, Ukraine’s military reserve. People stand in long lines to sign up because so many want to fight. My grandfather tried to sign up as well, but he is 70 and they turned him down. Edem and my dad have been expecting a call back for several days now. They don’t have experience handling a gun and so far, Ukraine has been favoring volunteers who do.

I spend a lot of time on Telegram channels connecting volunteers and people who need help, and it warms my heart to see how much Ukrainians want to help each other. People post about needing groceries or medicine or a ride to a hospital, and volunteers in the vicinity come to their aid. For days now, Edem and I have been trying very hard to find an opportunity to contribute, but it’s very competitive. Some requests in our area get deleted within five minutes after being posted, because someone already claimed the task. Other times, I call people who asked for help, often women with young kids, and they beg me to delete their number because they got the assistance they needed with groceries or supplies from several volunteers, and they keep getting calls.