The power of small steps: Elina Svitolina had a personal meeting with the winners of the Play for Ukraine project

The Play for Ukraine campaign by Nova Post, which gathered over 55,000 stories of personal victories by Ukrainians, has been concluded. At the final stage, the three winners (Daniela, Roman, and Yana) had a meeting with Elina Svitolina, the project's ambassador and Ukrainian tennis star.

As part of the project, participants shared stories about studying, serving, working, losing their homes, tackling fears, and starting their businesses. All in all, 43 thousand Ukrainians voted for the most impressive and inspiring stories. Roman, Daniela, and Yana's stories enjoyed the most support.

Project winners

Roman, Vinnytsia — 1,594 votes
Roman defended Ukraine for more than five years as a member of the Defense Forces. Following an injury and long-term treatment, he finished his service but is returning to tennis, the game that has always helped him keep going. Now he hopes not only to regain his fitness but also to become a coach.

Daniela, Kyiv — 1,498 votes
Daniela is a native of Donetsk. In 2014, the city was occupied. Despite the prohibition of the Ukrainian language and harsh conditions, the girl secretly prepared for the External Independent Evaluation, passed the exams in Mariupol, and entered a Ukrainian university. Today, Daniela is completing her internship at a Kyiv hospital.

Yana, Kyiv — 1,423 votes
Yana had long dreamed of becoming a lawyer. When her hometown was occupied, she moved to Kyiv and started everything from scratch. Her biggest challenge was her fear of public speaking, which is crucial in court. Through hard work, she gradually overcame her fear and is now working in her line.

According to Yana Rumpa, this project was an unexpected occasion for her to reflect on her path: “I put off writing my story several times as it seemed like I had no victories in my life worth talking about. However, it was this project that made me think about my achievements for the first time. When I wrote the story, I realized that I had something to be proud of. I am sincerely grateful to Nova Post for such a thorough approach and the question voiced by Elina Svitolina: “What is your victory?”

The winners had a personal meeting with Elina Svitolina. They enjoyed the opportunity to talk to the tennis player about the strength, support, and the path that each of them travels every day.

What is the Play for Ukraine project about?

The Play for Ukraine project by Nova Post was launched to help Ukrainians recognize and feel that every personal victory is important even in times of war. Learning a new language, getting back into sports, passing an exam, tackling fears, or starting your business are all life-changing steps that bring us closer to a common goal.

The project was carried out in Ukraine, Poland, and Germany, the countries with most of our fellow citizens.

As a reminder of their own power, each participant received a small symbolic gift from Nova Post — a red tennis ball signed by Elina Svitolina. After all, a common victory means millions of individual ones.