Help Svitlana rebuild the roof of Luch's House of Culture
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€1,697 raised of
37 donations
My name is Patrick Wack, I'm a French documentary photographer working with topics related to geopolitics, national identity and minorities. I've been working around the Azov and Black Seas since 2019 and since 2023, I have among other things been documenting the destruction caused by the Russian invasion in Southern Ukraine.
In the summer of 2024, thanks to my friend - Ukrainian photographer Igor Ishchuk - I first visited the rural settlement of Luch, a village in the Mikolaiv region. Luch was heavily damaged during the Russian invasion in early 2022 and over the following months during which it was located right on the frontline. Most of its 1000 inhabitants fled during that time. One of them didn't.
Svitlana Ginzhul is the village's deputy and even though she is not compensated for her work, she's the one organising and caring for the reconstruction of Luch's Palace of Culture.
In a village like Luch located in the middle of a very rural area, the local palace of culture represents the center of community life. This is where young and old gather to chat, eat, paint, sing, dance and watch performances. In a destroyed village like Luch, to which people are slowly coming back and trying to rebuild their homes, the house of culture is where they can meet and forget for a moment the tragedy they are going through.
Svitlana is working at salvaging what can be salvaged of the house of culture and that comes first by repairing its roof.
She is one of these selfless people that care more for others than for herself, one of these everyday heroes who reveal themselves in tough times. I will be back in Luch this August and I want to help Svitlana by giving her money I've collected thanks to my network. Please help me help Svitlana by donating a bit money.
Thank you
Useful links:
. My work as a photographer: https://www.patrick-wack.com/
. My project "Azov Horizons" around the Sea of Azov and Black Sea: LINK
. Recent articles about my work: POLKA, Le Monde, The New York Times, Le Nouvel Obs, Meduza, Libération
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