Echoes from Ukraine

Read also: Version française · Українська версія

It all started with the Maidan

You’ve probably heard the following phrase before: “It all started with Maidan.”

Usually, what follows is both poignant and inspiring. There will be surprise, a lot of head shaking in time with each word. There will be understanding, questions, open pupils, and concentration on the conversation. Such are the “basic settings” for many Ukrainians. Today, regardless of who our reader is, I hope this conversation with Diana Dols will be interesting for you.

Diana Dols is the Chief Operating Officer of the French non-profit organization Aide Médicale et Caritative France-Ukraine (AMCFU).

Founded in 2014, AMCFU has a humanitarian mission: to provide lifesaving medical and humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by war and to alleviate their suffering. An apolitical, secular, and non-profit organization, AMCFU is distinguished by its commitment to the universal principles of humanity, impartiality, and neutrality.

Diana has lived in France since 2006. She is an engineer by education, and she headed the purchasing department in a large French company. In 2014, when Russia’s war against Ukraine began, she started volunteering, sending small humanitarian aid packages to Ukraine. This desire to help Ukrainians led to the creation of a non-governmental organization that would later become one of the largest in France in terms of aid to Ukraine. Then, the diaspora members who joined the volunteering program also became the ones who talked about Ukraine here in Europe. “This is very important,” emphasizes Diana.

Smiling, she says that, thanks to her technical education and work experience, she is a supporter of constructive volunteering. “The call of the heart alone is not enough to provide qualified assistance. It is the rational approach that has made AMCFU the organization it is today. Understanding that small projects can require far more resources than well-planned, well-calculated large ones. Therefore, prioritization and a rational approach are extremely important,” Diana explains.

The East is a key story

The fierce fighting for Ilovaisk in 2014 led to heavy losses for Ukrainian soldiers. The wounded were brought to a hospital in Dnipro, which became a hub for their rescuing. Diana recalls this episode as a key one in developing the volunteer initiative. “We had no experience yet in sending large trucks of aid, but even then, there was a desire to do more, not to be limited to small packages of aid,” she recalls. Thus, Diana first became the coordinator of sending aid from the Poitou-Charentes (a former French region that is now part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region) to Ukraine, and later became the coordinator of expeditions throughout France and the vice president of the association. During this period, the organization began sending medical aid  and support in providing treatment and rehabilitation to war-affected Ukrainians in France. Until 2022, AMCFU focused on supporting the Ukrainian medical system and assisting victims in the conflict zone.

Through the initiative to help and support, Diana discovered the volunteer initiatives of Ukraine, met people, and traveled the entire contact line from Mariupol to Stanytsia-Luhanska and most Ukrainian regions. In fact, she witnessed the development of military medicine and the expansion and improvement of care in mobile hospitals in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a shift in attitudes toward patients—particularly those with mental health conditions—and the modernization of hospitals, and she was involved in these important processes. 

“It so happened that I was already living here in France, working, but it was through volunteering that I went through the path of reforms together with Ukraine. It’s interesting, and I was sincerely happy when key changes took place in the country, such as, for example, the healthcare reform, ” says Diana.

Among the projects then were educational ones – performances and concerts for children in front-line towns. Mobile entertainment for children was organized in partnership with the Chernihiv Theater. Then, in December 2021, they organized about 50 children’s performances for St. Nicholas Day in various settlements near the front line.

Those who believe very strongly

After the organization was founded in 2014 and until 2022, there were few funds for operational activities; everything was supported by volunteers. This period was different from what happened after 2022. The donations came from several French hospitals, nursing homes, and a number of companies. Ukrainian city councils and companies that helped cover the cost of transporting aid. 

In France, the ongoing work depended on volunteers who covered the costs themselves.

“It was a time when everything depended on those few ‘crazy people’ from France and Ukraine who were passionate about this cause,” recalls Diana.

In 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, associations had to quickly orient themselves, as large-scale projects were underway and the French had a strong interest in Ukraine and a desire to help. Then it was time to reformat the organization’s activities. Large trucks with targeted assistance began to be sent to Ukraine. The difficulty was also that there was a constant need for a team, it became impossible to rely only on volunteers. Currently, the organization has 3 people working constantly, but there are plans to expand the team.

“Most of our shipments are donations that are picked up by truck directly from partners. Sometimes the cargo also goes through the AMCFU warehouse. Then, 10–20 volunteers still help with the loading. It’s a kind of reminder of how it all began,” Diana says with a smile.

Currently, AMCFU is sending ambulances, generators for hospitals, medical equipment, and medicines to Ukraine. The organization also actively promotes and enables the exchange of knowledge and practices between French and Ukrainian doctors. “The organization’s work is always in a tense mode, because there are many tasks and needs, and the strength and human resources are not always enough for everything,” says Diana.

In 2025 alone, thanks to the funds raised and the help of partners, AMCFU implemented a number of important projects:

• 31 humanitarian convoys were delivered with a total value of over 12 million euros.
• 2 new, fully equipped ambulances, 26 used ambulances, 1 vehicle for transporting people with limited mobility, and 1 refrigerator were delivered.
• Almost 100 hospitals, medical facilities, and educational institutions were equipped.
• A Franco-Ukrainian thrombectomy school that brought together 12 doctors (4 of whom were remote) from French university clinics, 10 Ukrainian experts, and 34 young doctors and interns from across Ukraine were organized.
• Provided support in organizing the first international summit on somnotherapy and psychotraumatism.

As AMCFU prepares to host a new school in 2026, Diana recounts how last year, 8 French neuroradiologists, on a volunteer basis, agreed to come to Ukraine and share their experience with Ukrainian colleagues.

“It’s very touching, because they have a busy job at the hospital, and in the evenings we all put together a program for the school. Everyone had their own beliefs about this trip. One of them told me that his professional activities would lose their meaning if he didn’t participate in such charitable projects,” says Diana. Holding the school in Ukraine became an inspiration for those who didn’t believe that such a format of exchange of experience was possible.

Motivation

Diana’s mother was a radiologist, but she passed away early due to illness. The woman and her colleagues were diagnosed with cancer. “This call to help reform and modernize the provision of medical care and working conditions for doctors in Ukraine is probably in memory of my mother,” Diana shares.

Her personal motivation is to see concrete results of her work. She was also driven to carry out such a complex mission by a sense of injustice, because not so long ago, there was a terrible World War II, but here we are again watching Ukraine being shelled.

According to Diana, volunteers are also motivated by how their individual actions affect the overall result.

“You need to involve the person in the entire process, not just a clearly defined action. The volunteer doesn’t just load boxes, but also has to see where this truck is going, and the people who receive this help,” Diana assures.

Among the organization’s volunteers are Ukrainians who want to remain relevant to Ukraine and benefit their country. French people with professional experience who can perform relevant functions within the organization, for example, helping with communications. There are also benefactors who are ready to help from time to time with loading or transportation. The work at the warehouse is not easy: you have to load and unload large volumes of aid. People are constantly needed for this. Without illusions, Diana says that it can be difficult because everyone is different, and it is not always possible to immediately establish effective work.

Usually, volunteers in humanitarian organizations are retired people because they have more free time. However, AMCFU has volunteers of all ages, including many young and active ones. Despite busy schedules, everyone finds time to fulfill their volunteer duties.

Partnership

AMCFU has worthy colleagues with whom it implements large-scale humanitarian projects. Among them are the Ukrainian company SANAGRO Ukraine, the Tulipe Association, VYV Ambulance and others. At the same time, public support is extremely important. If we do not take into account the peak of support when the full-scale invasion began, then, in general, the number of charitable contributions from individuals has even increased over the last period.

“We were afraid that the war in Ukraine would be forgotten. But it never ceases to amaze me that the average French person continues to donate to humanitarian support for Ukrainians,” says Diana.

In the near future, AMCFU plans to work on water purification projects as well. They are currently looking for partners and funding.

The most important thing

Diana, like every Ukrainian, dreams of the war ending. Then she and the organization will work on the development and reconstruction of Ukraine. She wants to hear gratitude from those she is helping now, and symbolically hear about the refusal of humanitarian aid. This will mean that people are safe, institutions are functioning, and everything is fine in Ukraine.

“My wish is not for a new level of our organization’s work, but for Ukraine not to need our help,” Diana concludes our conversation.

To learn more and support AMCFU initiatives, please visit the organization’s website: https://amcfu.org/ 

April 2026, Lyubov Smachylo