Mašenjka Feels Happy, From A to W, Twelve Campaigns Will Go Out Crowdfunding!

What are the campaigns, what is in the #BigStoriesSmallBusinesses?

Take a small A to W quest with Maša and find out!

A. stands for Antonov, Ukrainian engineer who constructed the biggest cargo plane in the world, the famous Antonov! Produced in Ukraine. Mašenjka saw it in Zagreb several years ago, once it landed to pick up a transformer for a powerplant. The queue of curious people was the longest queue she has ever seen! Can you imagine how thrilled she was she realised we have another Antonov in one of the teams that is composed of engineers who once worked in the Antonov factory? Now The A. team has created the first electric cargo bike in Ukraine – find out what is their name and try-out the bike when they go out to the crowds with guerrilla marketing!?

B. stands for Bees. Did you know that if you lay down in a specially designed wooden house (or is it a bed that looks like a small house – you tell us?), where you get surrounded by bee-hives, the vibration of their humming around you have healing effects for your health, body and mind? It is called apitherapy. Do not worry, it is safe! You can come and try it out but where, you should find out! It is one of campaigns combined with eco-tourism in beautiful nature of Ukraine.

C. stands for Carpets. Do you know how old is the tradition of waiving carpets, rugs and tapestries with beautiful colourful motives in Ukraine? Can you imagine there are only ten, yes, your read well, ten (10) masters who still know how to do it in the authentic way, manually, working in Reshetylivka village factory. How old the tradition is you'll find out if you watch the video. You'll just love it.

D. stands for Donbas. The Eyes of Donbas. Who's eyes those are? You must find out yourself, you'll be surprised. And they will tell you what really happened in Lugansk in 2014 when the conflict in Eastern Ukraine burst out.

E. stands for Expedition, but not any kind of expedition, a secret expedition with a Tuareg, a Maya, a Viking, led by Oksana and Mary. What is so secret in this expedition? You have to find out, Maša promised to Tuareg she won't tell, otherwise he can make her turn indigo blue!

F. stands for Fashion Patches. A statement you can make with your clothes. With what you wear you can show-out your support for human rights. Different we are indeed but our rights should be the same, right? Watch Olena to tell you how you can show your respect and your support!Enter your text here ...

H. stands for Home. And for the House. Low-energy house that two guys united in a housing cooperative know how to build, twice as cheaper than regular construction costs in Ukraine are. And there is more! Heating bills in winter times in that house are five times cheaper than in a regular house! These two men want to help more than 1.7 million Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine, like they are themselves too. Watch their video and they will show you!

K. stands for Kids Club. In Rubizne. Just 30 kilometres from the conflict zone. A couple of thousand kids can come there to play, learn English and spend wonderful time together. There are 500 more kids with special needs that would love to join them, but they need you to support the Kids Club to open that door as well!

P. stands for Patents. If you have a unique and great business idea, you can register it and protect on-line. Easy-peasy copyrights protection – how? Find out!

S. stands for Sloviansk. Same Sloviansk that was captured by terrorists and then was the first city liberated by Ukrainian Army. Did you know there is a nice Simple Coffee café there where you can enjoy some creative time over a nice, smelly coffee? It also has a great yard where outdoor extension of Simple Coffee is planned. You can be part of it, join creative art and smart group, check out how!

T. stands for Trees. For 50.000 seedlings of trees that can grow to at least 1000 trees, with some help of thousands of kids in 40 schools of Luhansk region. They want to turn green what once was grey sand dunes in the surroundings of their city. And you can help them, find out how! Trees are precious. Kids are too.

W. stands for WalQlike. What does it stand for? You do not know yet? Quick, go to Spilnokosht platformand find out, support the team, WalQlike along Kyiv or Lviv and have fun!

After two months of intensive work with the Crowdfunding Academy team – voilà!

The Spring is here and the twelve teams are ready with their campaigns. The great positive energy and enthusiasm all along the Academy reflected in the great progress of the teams. Maša feels happy! She has done her job, with her comrades from the Crowdfunding Academy, with UNDP Alternative Finance Lab, with Terra Hub and Brodoto from Croatia and with Spilnokosht at Big Idea from Ukraine. Powered by UNDP Ukraine and DFID, British International Development Department.

Now it is your turn! What can you do? Check out the teams and their videos, find out the answers to A-W quest, follow when they go out with campaigns, support them, share, tell everyone, be their crowd! It feels great, you'll see!

Author: Sandra Vlasic