“We are sorry to bother you...”

A charity fair was held at the Trade and Industry Chamber, where the embassies of more than 30 countries displayed their stands. The recipients of this aid, offered for the 14 th consecutive year, are underprivileged children, the disabled, elderly people in Kyiv city and oblast, as well as women who are victims of domestic violence. The fair was open for six hours, and anyone who paid the 10-hryvnia admission fee could taste the dishes of various countries or buy something original.

Each country tried to attract visitors with its unique goods, delivered to Ukraine through the efforts of its embassy or companies. There are not many places in Ukraine where you can find an Indonesian rice- based dish that resembles pilaf or the marzipan stollen, the cake that Germans traditionally serve at Christmas. Last year the organizers raised more than 100,000 dollars, which were converted into grants for hospitals, orphanages, and nursing homes. Part of these funds is always used to maintain soup kitchens, especially for the elderly.

“The overriding idea is to return to society what we receive from it if we are gainfully employed. We’ve got shops, schools, and books that society offers us, so we should make up for what we have received,” says Briton Nick Morris, who heads a Kyiv English language school. “British business closely cooperates with the embassy, and together we try to do something for charity,” Nick adds.

The representatives of Peru, the only Latin American country at the fair, are pursuing the same aim. That country’s ambassador to Ukraine, Liliana de Torres Muga, always says, “We are sorry to bother you...” when she collects the money that people can donate in exchange for tasting the national beverage Pisco. “We are here because we want to help. One must show solidarity and help the country in which one resides. We are trying to help children who, for a number of reasons, including global ones, are deprived of parental care. But they are eager to be happy, they want to have the same Christmas as other kids,” Madam Ambassador said.

Judging by the speed with which items were being swept off the stands, charitable work is very important not only to the organizers but also to ordinary Kyivites, many of whom regularly devote part of their family incomes as well as heartfelt emotions to their needy compatriots for years. For example, Angela and her daughter Olena are habitues of this charity fair. They were initiated into this good cause by their relatives — members of the International Women’s Club. “I am a regular patron. I just like looking at what the various countries have on display. We do some buying and hold a lottery. We’ve just bought French croissants, visited the British stand, and tasted Canadian maple syrup. First and foremost this is a charity event; we know where this money is going,” Angela says about her visit to the fair.

The only state representing the CIS at the fair was Uzbekistan. The only reminder of Ukraine was a jersey and a ball signed by the players of the Shakhtar Donetsk soccer club, which the Romanian Embassy put up for auction. They are proud of their compatriot Mircea Lucescu, who coaches this Ukrainian soccer club.