Funds raised in the Netherlands during four-day march to support Ukrainian veterans

According to Ukrinform’s correspondent in The Hague, the annual international event gathered around 47,000 participants from more than 70 countries, including 6,500 military personnel from 36 nations.

Participants were required to walk 30, 40, or 50 kilometers per day, totaling 160 kilometers over the four days.

Many combined their participation with charity fundraising. This year, Dutch civil servant, historian, and volunteer John Stienen, along with Ukrainian Liliia Khrapova, walked 40 kilometers daily to raise money for the Veteran Mental Health Centre of Excellence (VMHCE) — a project being implemented in Kyiv by Dutch organizations.

“I joined the charity initiative because I wanted to help Ukrainian veterans. I found a project to establish a mental health center for veterans at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. The project is supported by Dutch foundations FGIP – Human Rights in Mental Health and OpenDoorUkraine.nl, in cooperation with Ukrainian partners. Together with Liliia, we raised more than 5,000 euros for this project,” Stienen told Ukrinform.

Liliia Khrapova, who works in Nijmegen, noted the strong support from the Dutch.

“I walked with a Ukrainian flag. When I heard ‘Slava Ukraini!’ from military personnel of other countries, when children wanted to take photos with me, and when Dutch people sang Ukrainian songs — it made me feel we are not alone. I want all Ukrainians to feel that,” she said.

The Nijmegen march has been held since 1909 and is the largest multi-day walking event in the world.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, in June, participants of a march from The Hague raised EUR100,000 to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, funding medical assistance, rehabilitation, and psychological support for veterans and their families. That initiative is backed by the Dutch Ministry of Defense and implemented in cooperation with the Netherlands for Ukraine Foundation (NL4UA).