The story of Yulianna Kulyukina, Ukrainian Hive
This is a story about choice, empathy and resilience in the most difficult of times. Yulianna Kulyukina had been living and working in Bulgaria for 11 years when the war in Ukraine changed everything. Rather than giving in to shock and helplessness, from the very first day she began actively supporting her fellow Ukrainians.
There were many obstacles and difficulties along the way. But one encounter gave her perhaps the greatest strength to keep going – meeting a family from Mariupol with a five-year-old child, whose story has remained with her ever since.
It all began with a Facebook group. Yulianna created it almost immediately after the outbreak of the war to help Ukrainian refugees. The group quickly grew to tens of thousands of members and became an important source of information for families arriving in Bulgaria confused, frightened and uncertain about what their lives would look like from that point on.
Every day, Yulianna and her team received between 500 and 600 enquiries about accommodation, transport, border crossings and social assistance. Yulianna also volunteered with the government’s crisis task force, where she worked to help institutions better understand and respond to the actual needs of refugees.
Gradually, one thing became clear: emergency assistance alone was not enough. And children were among the most vulnerable.
This is how the idea for the Ukrainian Hive Education and Integration Centre was born – a place designed not simply to provide immediate assistance, but to offer a way forward, especially for refugee children.
The Centre provides early childhood development activities, psychological support and a gradual transition into the Bulgarian education system. The aim is to make this transition as smooth as possible – without additional trauma and without isolation.
The Centre also works with children with special needs, one of the most vulnerable groups.
“We help them take their first steps towards adaptation and integration,” Kulyukina says.
A psychologist is also available to support children step by step as they adjust to a different environment.
One of the most powerful moments in Yulianna’s story remains her encounter with a family from Mariupol. A mother and her five-year-old child survived the horror of the siege. They sheltered in the theatre marked with the word “children” and nevertheless witnessed the bombing. They endured hunger, fear and uncertainty before finally managing to escape.
It was then that Yulianna fully understood the deeper meaning of what she was doing: helping people not merely to survive, but to regain a sense of home.
As a mother herself, Yulianna also began to see things from a different perspective. After the birth of her daughter, she became increasingly aware of the real challenges within the education and healthcare systems – issues that can often appear “normal” when viewed from the outside.
This motivated her even further to work for change – not only for Ukrainian children, but for all children in Bulgaria.
Membership of Ukrainian Hive in the National Network for Children, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has given Yulianna the opportunity to become part of a stronger collective voice – to participate in campaigns, put forward proposals, engage with institutions and advocate for the interests of children and families.
“When people come together, they can achieve real change,” Yulianna says.
She does not hide the fact that there are times of exhaustion, lack of funding and difficult moments.
“When I see the children smiling and their parents happy, I realise that everything I do gives me life and the strength to keep moving forward,” she says.
She describes people who work for children’s rights as “crazy” – because they give themselves completely to the cause – and as “dedicated”, because they invest their hearts and their time in it.
“To be a volunteer and to share in someone else’s experience means giving a part of yourself – your soul, your heart, your knowledge, even taking time away from your own family,” she concludes.
The Ukrainian Hive Integration and Education Centre is a member of the National Network for Children (NNC) – Bulgaria’s largest network of more than 140 civil society organisations and activists working for children’s rights. This year, the Network celebrates 20 years since its establishment.
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