Philosophy / 2. Social philosophy

Zvyagintseva M.Y.

Donetsk National university of Economics and Trade named after M. Tugan-Baranovsky

Charity in modern Ukraine

Charitable traditions in Ukraine, on the one hand, reflect the dynamics of all European and Russian tendencies in this sphere and on the other hand, they have their own specifics. Ukrainian culture combines different charitable practices such as folk, inherited since pre-Christian times; state and church since spreading of Christianity; hetman (state charity and private) Cossack’s and bourgeois’ (social charity and private).

The purpose of the article is to show charity on modern Ukraine.

It is no doubt that the activity of so called brotherhood – national-religious societies wide spread in Ukraine in XVI-XVII centuries played great role in the history of Ukrainian charity. They united the representatives of cossakhood, peasants, craftsmen and merchants, as well as Ukrainian tycoons. The work of fraternities did impress a lot since they defended the poor the incapables and widows. Moreover they opened and provided hospitals both for adults and children. Furthermore they ensured the development of Ukrainian education and were patrons of schooling and printing in Ukraine.

As the Ukrainian specialist in charitable brotherhood activity L.Roschina writes it was a real incarnation of humanistic views on Ukrainian society upon incapability and poverty. The patrons work, made by brotherhood in educational processes and printing books based on a new humanistic principles; the order and reforming of the church life all this created huge authority of these fraternities and made from the main subjects of national-cultural revival of Ukraine in XVI-XVII centuries.

The cossackship played rather important role in the Ukrainian philanthropic traditions. It was the Cossacks surrounding what gave the birth to some new leaders who tried to build not only the statehood, but developed education, built and rebuilt temples, built social objects, patroned arts etc.

Cultural reviving of Ukraine in XVII century was run owing to a powerful economical supporting provided by cossackship. Hetman Sagaydachny with all his Zaporizhian army join the Kievan Bogoyavlensky brotherhood in 1620. After having been created the brotherhood school with its steady financial supporting every Cossack military man became the founder of some monastery or church.

The Cossack surrounding gave a number of gifted and educated people, outstanding in cultural and charitable activity. Their role in the development of national culture is great. They are M.Doroshenko, I.Mazepa, P.Mohila, I.Samoylovich, I.Sulyma, P.Orlik and many others.

Charity of the end of XIX- the beginning XX century in Russia as well as in Ukraine became a real point of common views for different social layers and as a result national self-conscience grew up. A great influence of Ukrainian charity was made by the ideas of narodnichestvo. And the result of these actions was a generous alms and involving ordinary people in realizing the superior cultural achievements made by charity-men and patrons over the XIX and up the XX centuries.

In comparison with Russia and West Europe, the power of merchaning-enterpreneurs in Ukrainian charity was considerably less important, however this situation was compensated by Cossack democracy and bourgeois corporatism.

In modern Ukraine charity has unstable character, in spite of the activity of many charitable funds and social organizations in different spheres of Ukrainian life. They are “The Future” – charitable fund in Odessa; All-Ukrainian social organization “Magnolia”; All-Ukrainian social organization “Children Protection Service”; the fund “People of the Future” founded by S.Vakarchuk; fund “Anti-AIDS” ruled by A.Pinchuk; Donetsk city fund “Kindness” organized in 1998, (its main stream is studying the history of philanthropy in Ukraine, material support of health care and educational establishments as well as social protection). Furthermore there is a charitable fund by Teslenko, having registered since 2003 in Dzerzhzhinsk, (its program includes helping people suffered in natural disasters, providing poor families, unemployed and incapable and also supporting well-promised talented youth and promoting the development of science and education). Ukrainian charitable fund “Ukrainian Care” and International charitable fund “Revival” at last.

Ukraine as well as Russia is following the most effective model of combining its own historical traditional experience with international ones. One cannot help but mention, for difference of all these models in economical and legal tendencies. For instance, there dominate some private charitable funds in Spain, Italy, German and the USA. In France the leading part in providing charitable work belongs to the government, as for Great Britain there appeared both private and national models.

Thus, one of the most serious problems of Ukrainian charity is poor relations between business, national power and cultural spheres of the society. Business in modern Ukraine is a great deal far from being the ideal one, even though Ukrainian state has got such experience since the period of having been the part of the former Russian empire. In her work N.Kolosova discovers sharply, but rather fairly the main reason of such situations around charity in Ukraine. It is absolutely differs in mental and social bases of modern business undertaken from the traditional one. The great part of modern Ukrainian businessmen are criminal and half-criminal elements, swindlers and adventurists. Charity in Ukraine has lack of patriotic motivation. And this problem is becoming stronger. And the much more evidence of it is the difference between effectiveness of work of charitable organizations and its quality as well.