Karl Idermark

Sweden

Karl Idermark, Swedish Dobrobat Volunteer: “Volunteer work gives a great impetus to reassess values”

The stories of Dobrobat volunteers who came to restore Ukraine are always similar in some way. They are always the confession of a person who, having abandoned all his affairs in his native country, leaving comfort and putting himself at a certain risk, rushed to help people who cannot do without her. One of such selfless men is Karl Idermark, a Swedish citizen, a resident of the maritime city of Malmö. He is 37 years old, he is a port worker. And at the same time, he is a Dobrobat volunteer.

Like many of his like-minded people, Karl decided to become a volunteer almost immediately when he learned about the Russian attack on Ukraine. Like all Europeans, he was shocked that something like this could happen on their continent in the 21st century, when one country would start purposefully destroying another, guided by fabricated reasons at the behest of a crazy dictator. He already felt that Ukraine needed help as soon as possible, and that many people from all over Europe should come and do something to help the Ukrainian people in their distress. But Karl did not get to Ukraine right away:

When the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, I became a volunteer at a transit center for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. I worked there for about three months, after which I had to return home for a while. However, during my work, I received a lot of contacts from Ukraine, and this even more inspired me with the idea of going there to be useful in helping the victims, in restoring their homes.

Karl does not remember exactly how and when he learned about Dobrobat. He says: one of his fellow volunteers in Poland must have suggested that there was an organization called Dobrobat that helps restore houses in Ukraine, and the man was convinced that he could really become a part of this cause. That’s how he ended up in Kyiv and started working with Dobrobat volunteers. It was in April 2023. On his first visit, the volunteer from Sweden spent about five weeks in Ukraine. Together with his team, they restored housing and social facilities in many towns in the Kyiv region, which the occupiers had fiercely attacked in the first month of the invasion, until they were driven out by Ukrainian defenders.

I worked on the reconstruction of housing in Irpen, Gostomel, Borodyanka and other villages – you can’t even remember everything. At first it was a bit difficult – so much physical work at once. However, later you stop feeling the strain, because you understand that you can be useful and you feel the support of your colleagues. All the Ukrainians I worked with were very friendly. They told me that they were glad to see foreigners who come and work with them. And yes, I really felt that it was appreciated.

Sometimes it was difficult to communicate because of the language barrier, so Karl started to learn Ukrainian little by little, and the large international team also slowly got used to English. Therefore, there were no special obstacles in this sense. There were also no problems with cultural barriers, because Ukraine, as a volunteer from Sweden testifies, is a completely European country, and it was very easy for him to get used to it here, so that he could come back here again later. At the same time, says Karl, volunteering has had a major impact on his worldview.

My life has changed from now on. I work from home and save money, and then try to take a vacation when possible and go to work in Ukraine. I think that here, in Western Europe, the problems we face are not so big if you compare them with the plight of Ukrainians who are forced to live against the backdrop of war and defend their country from the occupiers. Volunteering gives a great impetus to reassess values, to understand their role in this life. And this is the experience I gained while working in Ukraine.

According to Karl Idermark, it is organizations like Dobrobat that should become the basis for the restoration of Ukraine, since they know well the needs of people left without a roof over their heads and are ready to respond quickly to them, working ahead of time. He hopes that even more people from different countries will join the cause of rebuilding Ukraine in volunteer units.

I really want to encourage people from Western Europe to go and help rebuild Ukraine, because it is a good way to realize yourself, gain new experiences and make new acquaintances. I know many who physically cannot come and work on their own, but they also do not remain indifferent: they help, donate money. As for me, I do not have much money, but I can spend at least a little of my time and effort. And it is through this combination of actions of different people that European aid comes to Ukrainians. And I am convinced that over time there will be even more of it.