One-year anniversary of volunteering: American philanthropist Michael Capponi talks about helping Ukrainians

The one-year anniversary of American philanthropist Michael Capponi's work in Ukraine has prompted reflection on the life lessons and skills he has gained during this time. Capponi leads the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), a charity foundation that has been helping Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war in the country. According to Capponi, every experience he has had in life has found its application in his charitable work.

Michael Capponi

Currently, Capponi has been in Ukraine for over a year, where he is organizing and providing humanitarian aid on the front lines of the war. During this time, he has done a tremendous amount of work and raised a significant amount of money to help the local population. Capponi noted that this work requires maximum mobility and organizational complexity from him.

Michael Capponi wrote about this on his Facebook page.

«Today marks 1 year since this all began.

This work is a culmination of all my life’s lessons.

There’s not a lesson I’ve learned in life that hasn’t applied. That is why we must always trust in whatever occurs. We have been to Haiti 100 times since the 2010 earthquake. That earned me a bachelors degree in this work.

I vowed that Global Empowerment Mission would be in Ukraine till this issue is resolved. We set up the proper infrastructure to be here for the long haul. I have slept in my bed in Miami less than a total of 20 days since this war began.

Learning to properly organize large scale aid distributions in front line regions of the most important war in Europe since WW2 is no easy task. Ukraine has now given me a PHD Masters degree in this work. The work is far from over.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us since this all started.

See link for more comprehensive data and stats.

https://www.globalempowermentmission.org/.../ukraine-crisis/

This is about supporting human beings in dispair.

That’s why we’re here. Thousands of US orgs collected billions of dollars to help Ukraine.

I live in Kyiv and have barely seen any of them here. The biggest names with the highest raises are the ones who have done the least to support.

Non Profit means Non Profit. Period.

There must be a massive disruption in this sector.

We did all this work with 19 M in cash.

There’s groups that have raised more than half a billion and they’re nowhere to be seen here other than for photo ops».

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» and the charity organization Global Empowerment Mission in English for readers from other countries to tell the stories of people who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» та благодійною організацією Global Empowerment Mission на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти історії людей, які пережили жахи російської окупації.