Honouring Solidarity: Building the Memorial for International Volunteers for Ukraine
- Matthew Parish
- Jun 14
- 3 min read
In the tumultuous months of 2022, as Ukraine faced existential threats on multiple fronts, a wave of international volunteers rushed to her aid. Among them was Marce, a 59-year-old Portuguese aid worker, whose personal journey—from driving 4,000 km with essential supplies to becoming a combat instructor—encapsulates the spirit of cross-border solidarity. In late 2022, at the peak of his own journey back to Portugal during recovery from illness, he initiated the Memorial for International Volunteers for Ukraine (MIVU) project, designed to honour those who came from around the world to stand with Ukraine. Although the memorial’s original website (memorialildu.com) is currently offline, its Facebook page (a link to which is at the end of this article) still speaks to a community of supporters and volunteers.
A Memorial Born from a Journey
Marce’s story reads like an odyssey:
In March 2022, he arrived in Ukraine with a van loaded with 700 kg of medical supplies and children’s food, personally delivering aid to units like Ukraine’s 24th Brigade and the hospital in Yavoriv.
He led reception and training efforts at the “Yellow House,” helping integrate international volunteers.
After a bout of hepatitis, he returned to Portugal before coming back to Ukraine with further aid and later serving as a combat instructor in Mykolaïv.
Amidst his work, he conceived the MIVU memorial to honour the volunteers’ courage and continue the flow of humanitarian assistance.
Vision and Mission
The MIVU memorial serves two key purposes:
A Permanent Recognition — to physically honour international volunteers who fought, trained, or provided humanitarian assistance in Ukraine, as well as paramedics and medical personnel.
A Continuing Hub for Support — to sustain channels for supplies and aid through dedicated donors and logistics networks coordinated by the MIVU team.
By establishing a public monument or memorial site, the project seeks to preserve the memory of multinational solidarity and underscore the ongoing importance of international volunteerism.
Building Blocks of a Living Memorial
Although the memorial website is currently offline, the project’s underlying elements remain clear:
Fundraising and Donor Engagement — through MIVU's Facebook page, supporters have been galvanised globally to fund both the memorial and on-the-ground aid.
Logistical Collaboration — building on Marce’s existing delivery networks to military and civilian points across Ukraine.
Designing with Meaning — the memorial aims to honour both volunteer names and nationalities, reflect the common purpose of their service, and symbolise solidarity across borders.
Symbolic and Diplomatic Implications
The memorial will serve multiple important roles:
Cultural: A physical space where Ukrainians can acknowledge the human face of international support.
Political: A reminder that Ukraine’s defence has been shaped not only by its own armed forces, but by global volunteers.
Moral: A potential tool to inspire future aid and solidarity initiatives from abroad—and to show volunteers that their sacrifices are honoured and remembered.
Next Steps and Challenges
To transform goodwill into a lasting monument, MIVU must navigate:
Challenge | Path Forward |
Fundraising long-term | Launch public appeals, institutional partnerships, and donor platforms. |
Site selection & design | Collaborate with local authorities and designers to find a suitable, meaningful location. |
Logistics & legals | Ensure land use, permits, and construction comply with Ukrainian regulations. Illicit work across regions will require coordination with regional administrations. |
Digital presence | Relaunch memorialildu.com—using the archived site and social media to connect with potential supporters. |
In a country where structures are still being rebuilt and histories rewritten, the International Volunteers for Ukraine Memorial would become both a testament and a testamentary. It would honour those like Marce and so many others who travelled far to offer shelter, training, medicine and support. And crucially, it would preserve a narrative often lost in geopolitical accounts: that solidarity still crosses borders, and that volunteers’ efforts helped turn the tide—on the battlefield and in Ukrainian hearts.
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The Facebook site for the Memorial for International Volunteers for Ukraine can be found here:
Photos accompanying Marcel's journey appear below.
