TAPS-Ukraine NGO is a member of the international organisation TAPSInternational, founded in the United States to support people who are experiencing the loss of of a loved one of a military person(s).
The NGO TAPS-Ukraine was founded in 2018 as an association of families of the victims ofDnipro and Dnipro region. As of 2023, the public organisation has more than 300 family members from all over Ukraine.
TAPS-Ukraine was established in 2018. In 2019, TAPS-Ukraine, TAPS International and Dnipro City Council signed a a trilateral declaration of intent, which provides for a common vision of development and mutual support for the families of the fallen Heroes of Ukraine. During its existence, the TAPS-Ukraine has already held hundreds of events to provide psychological support to families who are experiencing the loss of loved ones in the war.
The goal of the NGO TAPS-Ukraine is psychological and social support for the families of the victimsHeroes of Ukraine, promoting their interests and training representatives of the social sphere of effective communication with family members of the victims. We continue to establish cooperation with numerous representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, trademarks, and commercial organisations to to create similar social projects.
«Human Bridges» are five documentaries created with the support of the TAPS and TAPS International about the crucial role of psychologists in the process of returning people traumatised by war to a full life.
The title of the film is symbolic, because psychologists play the role of bridgeswhich transfer people from one side of the world to the other.
Who are you - a soldier, an internally displaced person (IDP), a volunteer, a released prisoner of war or a wife who lost her husband? Do you know how to kill enemies, or did you flee from war in an evacuation bus or were captured by Russians? It doesn't matter, what status you have because of the war, when it comes to the traumatic experience of war, which you had to face face to face. And after that, life will never will be the same as before this event.
War is a terrible page in our country's history. However, only one thing remains importantOne thing is that you have every right to start living a new life and not flinch from every sound of an alarm or a door being closed, thinking about your last breath or day of your life. Our films are about war, and war is about life, if we have to fight for the independence and freedom of of our native Ukraine.
Here's the first film.
Bonnie Carroll founded the TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) organization in 1994 after her husband Tom Carroll, the general, died in a plane crash in Alaska.
The main aim of the organization is to provide compassionate care to all those grieving the death of a military loved one. Today it unites more than 70 000 family members of the military in the USA, the unique community of people that suffer the loss of loved ones during hostilities and volunteer organizations in 24 countries of the world.
TAPS Ukraine headquarters is located in Dnipro and unites the families of dead heroes, volunteers, and donors from all over the country who share the mission of the organization. This partnership gives the opportunity to train specialists who can help to overcome the grief because of the loss of loved ones. This is a step toward the unity of the families that faced the tragedy and has the strength to support close ones!
“Our goal in TAPS International is the creation and development of an international support network. Grief is something universal, and our organization has an opportunity to support families survived in establishing stable communities. In such a way, they will continue to fulfill the mission for which their loved one died”, Bonnie Carroll
Has a very active life positionand optimism, which he combines with energy in his work. In the organisation mainly works with wives, providing them with not just advice, but motivational impetus for change.
Thanks to his skills as a coach and business coach and good intuition, he can identify what type of activity a bereaved person is inclined to do and can offer a new perspective on life problems and their solutions.
Her personal experiences have taught all of us to find a way out of any situation, to understand that asking for help is already a step towards a new stage of understanding ourselves, that we have to live withmemory of our Heroes, continuing to love.
Olena is a positive engine and emotion in TAPS-Ukraine. She is a hurricane of ideas and energizes TAPS members for positive changes.
Liliia manages humanitarian projects. She is the sister of the fallen Hero of Ukraine. Starting from 2014 Liliia is volunteering to support militaries and veterans.
The woman worked in the volunteer division and fulfilled a lot of important and hard tasks. The theme of such interaction with the families appeared in the woman's life during the preparation for a memory event dedicated to the anniversary of the tragedy in Ilovaysk. At that time, Liliya witnessed that her support positively influences the families members' emotional conditions.
In TAPS-Ukraine Liliia fulfills the tasks of the project manager. She always enthusiastically develops different directions of work with the families of killed militaries in the organization: starting from charitable actions and entertainment to training and special events organization.
Liliia is one of the initiators of the “Small steps to each other” Forum for the families of fallen Heroes that was held in September 2020 in Dnipro.
In case you have ideas, Liliia is a person who can help with the realization of any unreal projects.
Due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, which began on 22 September 2014, the DAPI lost her only son, who was a a volunteer with the Right Sector.
I thought life had stopped. Now I have to learn to live with this pain for almost 9 years. Thanks to my daughter,grandchildren and work motivate me. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she has been feeling anxiety for our sons, daughters, all those who stood up to defend their native Ukraine. That is why actively volunteers, believing that this help can save someone's life.
Nadiia Vasylivna says: I want to give everything to help and stop this horror. And you know in the churches they are not called dead, but 'innocently killed', I think this definition is more true. All Ukrainian military and civilians areare innocently killed. I have helped and am still helping my son's brothers-in-arms.
As a volunteer, I took care of with IDPs: food, medicines. I also helped an animal shelter.
To somehow distract my attentionfrom thinking about my son, I started embroidering: when you embroider, you don't think about anything,because you have to watch the needle carefully. She is fond of literature, thanks to reading which can also distract you from the bad.
Actively participates in the activities of the "TAPS" Charitable Foundation, believing that it is easier to go through the pain of losing your own son, together with those who have gone through the same thing. That is why we should stick together.
Liubov coped with the loss of her son in the East and later she lost her second son. She went through her own rehabilitation way and now unites the same mothers. The woman shares her own experience and supports mothers who also feel the loss. She helps women find inner resources to live a normal and full life.
It is thanks to her efforts that mothers who come to the foundation receive quality psychological support and participate in various social activities.
According to Liubov, only the mother can fully understand the same mother.
Liubov is a proactive, kind and sensual person, it is always interesting speaking and traveling with her.
He has been serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2011. At first, graduated from a military college, then a university. In June 2016, she lost her beloved in the war, and in November she gave birth to a son, whom her father, unfortunately, never got to see him.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she was actively engaged in volunteering for her comrades who were at the zero line and for their relatives' signalmen, who in the rear are also doing a very important job, because as it is commonly believed, "without communication there is no control!"
She manages to combine motherhood with her military service and volunteering, as six-year-old Tymofii is happy to helps and takes part in helping the superheroes of our time, the Heroes that the younger generation of Ukrainians should look up to.
Whenever she has a free minute, always spends it walking in the park and playing with her son. She actively takes participation in the activities of the Taps Charitable Foundation and is always ready to help and support families of fallen soldiers, as she has also gone through a difficult path of overcoming the loss of a loved one.
Tetiana takes a very active position in the organisation, and despite the heavy loss of her husband in the war, she raised two children, and later found her way to develop in helping the same mothers and wives, organising leisure and education for the children of the fallen Heroes of Ukraine.
As a volunteer in 2014-2015, she also took part in the organisation and support of her husband's wounded comrades-in-arms who returned alive.
When it comes to working with children, she knows how to be both serious and cheerful, rational and caring, if necessary, with her you can be on a first-name basis, stay awake all night on the road, laugh and tell life storiesstories. She is an unrivalled logistician of children's travelling, where children are always cheerful, well-fed and healthy. All trips are thought out to the smallest detail thanks to her professional qualities.
During 2018-2020, he is studying experience in this area and, together with a team of like-minded people, is establishing international contacts and is looking for resources to launch a large-scale programme in Ukraine with central centre in Dnipro.Tetiana is always open to cooperation and is ready for new meetings and active work to improve the the lives of those affected by the war.
Maryna is the woman with “golden hands” who is able to turn simple events and things into a beautiful pieces of art.
Maryna lost her husband in the war. He was a reliable support for the family. Nevertheless, she didn’t lose faith and joined our team in the role of a creative volunteer who always invents new types of handmade activities: starting from patchwork to sewing. She managed to raise her daughter on her own and today she is a student.
Maryna attended TAPS in America together with the founders and other volunteers. There she received a unique experience and began learning English. This will help Maryna to support those who lost their loved ones in Ukraine.
When the quarantine began, Maryna took part in providing handmade protective masks to the families of the fallen Heroes of Ukraine as well as helped with the collecting of humanitarian aid. If you want to gain new skills or create some handmade artwork, Maryna is here to tell and demonstrate that art can be one of the basics for adaptation and self-realization.
Maryna has a great sense of humor and an open soul. So if you want to share emotions and learn, we offer to turn to Maryna Shakhnyk.
Dear inhabitants of our planet Earth!
We, Ukrainian people now are struggling for our independence and for our right to live as a nation. This current war with rhe aggressor started 8 years ago. All these years our Charity Foundation TAPS was very active providing assistance to the families of the fallen heroes of the Ukrainian military forces. Since the very first hours of the full scale war invasion happened on February, 24, 2022 our Foundation and the coordination headquarter established on the basis of our Foundation, immediately initiated provision and supplies to the army , injured military men and civilians ,also to internally displaced people who were forced to leave their houses in the active combat zone.
The scale of ruining of our cities, villages, deaths of civilians and children has incredible huge size. We are in a terrible , crashing everything on its way war.
For 24 hours our Foundation is in operation and we are doing our utmost to help our people to win in this war. But we need on a constant basis financial charitable support to ve able to purchase what we need.
We are applying to you for your support- please, support our project to collect financial resources of NFT collection sales. Our Ukrainian children took part in these collections, photographer and paramedic Evgen Tytarenko who is now at a certain moment in a real combat , photographer and volonteer Dubnitskiy David. All the finances received will be spent to the purchase of all urgent needs for our army, to the children and IDPs.
We are endlessly grateful to each and every one willing to suppor our joint effort - defense of our Motherland and the Ukrainian People.
We will win without any doubts! Honour to Ukraine!
If you are interested in upcoming events, we invite you to the News section, where all announcements and invitations to new meetings will appear.
Charitable Foundation "TAPS"
