Activities

Iryna Umanets is born and raised in Kyiv, and she had never intended to leave the city of her heart before the war. At VATAHA, she leads embroidery workshops, sharing her passion for needlework, which she cherishes in all its forms. A mother of two, Iryna finds joy in seeing…

Vitalii has been a long-time logistics volunteer at the Ukrainian House Rotterdam, where his work overlaps with VATAHA. He is instrumental to making sure all materials and technical equipment reach each of VATAHA’s event locations and the venues are properly prepared. Before moving to Rotterdam, Vitalii lived in Boryspil, near…

Lera Manzovitova is a photographer from Kyiv, Ukraine. She has been pursuing photography professionally since 2015, following a decade of experience as a journalist and editor with organizations like Edipresse Group and Burda Media. Lera also has significant experience volunteering as a photographer for charitable organizations. She arrived in the…

Anna Bielchenko, originally from Kyiv, has been living in the Netherlands for over six years. With a degree in diplomacy, she has worked with various international organizations and NGOs. Alongside her professional career, Anna is passionate about photography and contributes to VATAHA as one of its photographers, capturing diverse events…

Isola is a Canadian writer based in Milan, with a deep interest in culture, memory, and language. At VATAHA, she supports communications and editorial projects, helping to share and amplify the voices of Ukrainian artists and cultural workers. Her independent research explores the intersections of memory, decolonization, and resistance, with…

Dasha Lohvynova is an art historian and independent researcher with a focus on contemporary artistic and curatorial practices in Ukraine. Originally from Donetsk, Ukraine, Dasha moved to the Netherlands in 2019 to pursue a degree in art history and heritage studies. Her research delves into the evolving landscape of Ukrainian…

Anna Kiknadze is a reporter at VATAHA. As a Georgian-American storyteller and researcher, she brings a multicultural perspective to her work, having lived across the United States, Turkey, Austria, and now the Netherlands.  Her background spans nonprofits, media, and research organizations, where she has developed content strategies, supported community-based initiatives,…

As an ethnographic researcher, Olena Poburko has worked across a range of areas, from migration policy and nuclear non-proliferation to media literacy. Originally from Lviv, Ukraine, Olena has lived in Canada, United Kingdom and Austria, before settling in the Netherlands. She holds an MSc in Global Economic History from the…