Last month, we already talked about the fact that the "CHARITY FUND FOR ASSISTANCE TO LAWYERS OF KYIV" has started its work, which is currently headed by lawyer Mykola Zamkovenko .
The fund was established by the Bar Council of the Kyiv region and carries out its charitable activities on the basis of legality, humanity, community of interests and equal rights of participants, transparency, voluntariness and self-government.
The main statutory tasks of the Fund in accordance with the Statute are:
a) charitable assistance to lawyers who are registered with the Kyiv Region Bar Council in case of natural disasters, accidents, serious illnesses, other force majeure circumstances with them and their family members;
b) charitable methodical, scientific, organizational and other material and non-material assistance to lawyers who are registered with the Bar Council of the Kyiv region when they carry out their professional activities;
c) popularization of philanthropy in the field of advocacy, encouragement for cooperation with the Fund of benefactors, patrons and sponsors;
d) charitable activities in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Charitable Activities and Charitable Organizations".
As already mentioned earlier, in the conditions of the war, the Fund will primarily deal with the issues of lawyers who suffered from the invasion of the Russian occupiers. We would also like to remind you that the development of the main directions of the Foundation's charitable activities is the responsibility of the Foundation's Supervisory Board. The criteria for the allocation of aid will be based on documentary evidence, and the corresponding reports on the use of funds will be as public as possible and available to the general public (to be published on the website of the Bar Council of the Kyiv region).
Usually, the Fund will plan its activities in the form of one-time charitable monetary, material or other assistance. Although other forms are not excluded: systematic charitable monetary, material or other assistance; financing of targeted charity programs in accordance with the statutory tasks of the Fund; charitable assistance based on agreements (contracts) on charitable activities, including patronage and sponsorship support; donation or granting of permits for free (targeted) use of objects owned by the Fund (when there will be such, of course).
It is important to emphasize that in order to carry out its activities, the Foundation has the right to attract voluntary contributions and donations from both Ukrainian and foreign individuals and organizations (in the form of cash receipts in both national and foreign currencies, property, etc.).
In September, American lawyer Barbara J. Gislason from Minnesota came to Kyiv on a corresponding visit to study possible directions of assistance. She was in Ukraine at the invitation of the head of the Bar Council of the Kyiv Region, Petro Boyk, representing the interests of the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Minnesota Bar Association. Obviously, we will count on close cooperation with American lawyers in this direction.
But literally today, the first foreign donation – 300 euros from Luxembourg – arrived at the Fund's account.
We invite the lawyers of the Kyiv region to support our colleagues who have suffered.