It is people who ispire me the most: Nika Usoltseva, Odesa

Nika has been volunteering with the Ukrainian Red Cross for more than three years. She began her journey by distributing humanitarian aid, but over time realised she wanted to support people when they needed it most. This led her to join the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team in the Odesa region.

During this time, Nika has taken part in numerous emergency responses, supporting people after crises and working in situations where not only professional skills matter, but also humanity and compassion.

What motivates her most are people — especially their emotions after receiving help, when hope begins to replace fear. A sincere “thank you” that is expressed not only in words, but in a smile or a sense of relief.

These moments, she says, give her the strength to continue, even after the most difficult deployments.

Volunteering is often associated with both physical and emotional exhaustion. That is why, after intense response operations, Nika takes time to recover in silence before returning to the work that has become such an important part of her life, with renewed energy.

For Nika, volunteering is about continuous learning, new knowledge, new challenges, and the opportunity to help people exactly when they need it most. This feeling remains her main motivation after more than four years of service.