There is a village called Druzhnya near Borodyanka in Kyiv Oblast. It is almost a part of the village - it is so close. The village itself is small, and the only center of culture is the local library. During the occupation of the region, the russian military lived in it, which mutilated the already not new premises. However, the library is now unrecognizable: thanks to caring people and volunteers, it is being transformed from a Soviet library into a modern space for children and adults.
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Hanna Mykhailivna has been working in the library since 1976. Like everyone else, she could never have thought that a full-scale invasion would begin and russian soldiers would live within the walls of her native bookstore. Only a day before these events, she received a new computer and printer in the library. Of course, the russians stole them.
They broke the front door, broke the locks, scattered everything here. Somehow, in one of the halls, holes were formed in the floor. The occupiers lived in the children's hall, they laid mattresses there.
The library serves 500 villagers, including 130 children. Students and pensioners read the most, the woman says. Children from kindergarten and junior high school are brought in groups, thus instilling in them a love of reading. He notes that the library is very cold in winter, which is why books and wallpapers were deteriorating due to dampness in the room.
Serhii Schwartz saw this library just like that, damp with a feeling of dampness. After the de-occupation of Kyiv region, he helped with the psychological rehabilitation of children from Borodyanka. There he learned about Druzhnya and offered help in restoring the library.
"At first, I told about this library on my Instagram. Later, he opened a collection for restoration, because one person cannot do such a job. A lot of people responded after that. Many offered books, one girl who owns a board game shop also said she could help. At first, I thought that it would only be help with books, but later I realized that it was necessary to undertake repairs as well," he recalls.
Serhiy found a guy from Rivne, who was able to make rough repairs in the library in a few weeks. Then a designer wrote to him, who was interested in this project and offered help.
“She said that I have a lot of orders, but I will sit down at night and do this project because I want to contribute. She asked what I had. I said that the money and what people donated: a children's kitchen, a small chair with a table, a children's wigwam. She incorporated everything very organically, added color," says Serhiy. Many people participated in the renovation of the library. Serhiy wrote on Instagram that he needed helpers for repairs. Those who responded did not even take money for their work.
They also helped Serhiy with books. His former colleague decided to organize a separate fundraiser for the purchase of books. She said that she would be happy if she collected at least UAH 1,000. And as a result, she collected 40 thousand hryvnias, with which she is going to buy 140 books. Another girl separately collected 25 thousand hryvnias.
