She prints victory: how a Kherson volunteer creates toys and parts for drones

A 3D printer and plastic are the things that Kherson-based volunteer and entrepreneur Kateryna Kondratiuk uses to help meet the needs of Ukraine's defenders and to take care of the childhood and development of children in Kherson. Using modern technologies, the woman makes plastic auxiliary parts for drones, raises funds for the Armed Forces, creates educational toys and organizes useful leisure for little Kherson residents in shelters. And it all started with a dream of Kateryna's son, which she was able to successfully realize thanks to the grant. Read about all this and more in the exclusive material of Intent.

To be where they are needed

The occupation, the long-awaited liberation, large-scale flooding and merciless shelling are what Kateryna Kondratiuk and her family have had to endure. They have been in Kherson since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Every time the volunteer, her husband and sons tried to leave for the government-controlled territory, the circumstances were not good. So in the end, they stayed in their hometown, where they did and continue to do everything to save lives in it.

"After the last unsuccessful attempt to leave, we decided to stay, to be where we are needed. And we do not regret it. This is our city, where everything is familiar, and most importantly, there are our people who need support and help. And this is what I can do, love and am always ready to do," says the volunteer.

Initially, she helped the Kherson Aid Center by working from home. It was a kind of security measure, because moving around the occupied city meant taking risks. And it was not a good idea to leave minor children at home alone. Therefore, she received some humanitarian aid that she managed to smuggle through enemy checkpoints. From the food and things she received, Kateryna formed basic kits and delivered them to the homes of elderly Kherson residents, those who needed such help in the first place, and her neighbors. This continued until the city was liberated. This event allowed the Kherson volunteers to breathe and work freely, so she immediately joined the headquarters team at the location. Kateryna notes:

"At first, I was in charge of distributing the humanitarian aid, but over time I took on most of the responsibilities. A large part of the team, our guys, are now in the ranks of the defenders, so I am happy to continue their great and good work. Today, together with the members of the headquarters who are still working, we help not only Kherson residents, but also residents of the de-occupied communities of the region, where we can reach. In addition, we try to be a reliable rear for the defenders, so we regularly hold charity fundraisers for their needs and more."

Kateryna Kondratyuk and the NGO "Kherson Aid Center" during a visit to the de-occupied villages of Kherson region. Photo from the headquarters' Facebook page

Volunteering, says the Kherson resident, helped her understand what her true calling is and allowed her to discover new opportunities for her own development. In particular, Kateryna managed to master new skills and start a business that now allows her to meet the needs of defenders and at the same time return the joys of childhood to Kherson children, ensuring their development even in a frontline city.

Everything big starts with small things

In 2024, Kateryna accidentally learned about a grant opportunity from a Kherson woman whom the headquarters helped after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant was blown up. It was provided by one of the charitable foundations for women in Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions to start their own businesses. The project was aimed at helping women find self-realization in times of war and thus supporting the Ukrainian economy. To join the grant competition, she had to present her project the very next day. So the volunteer immediately started consulting with her family and weighing up her business idea.

"The amount of money for the winners was small, and one of the conditions of the competition was to write a project that could be implemented with these funds not only within our city. But I'm convinced that everything big starts small, so I decided to try. It was already extremely small. While I was thinking about what it could be, my 11-year-old son, who studies programming, reminded me that he dreamed of a 3D printer and that you can create a lot of interesting things with it. At the time, I didn't understand what it was, but after researching the topic, I decided to write a project to purchase such printers. As it turned out, they can be used to print eco-plastic toys, so this formed the basis of the project. I've always wanted children to play with safe and high-quality toys, and that also motivated me," Kateryna recalls.

Having neither technical education nor experience in writing grants, the volunteer managed to successfully defend her project. And she soon learned that she had won. With the money she received, Kateryna purchased three 3D printers and began testing the devices. It wasn't easy, but with reliable helpers at her side, she was able to quickly learn new skills and create her first products.

"The first thing we started making were educational toys, not just any ordinary toys, but those that would encourage a child to play and think logically, to develop intellectually. Later we tried to create souvenirs and household items, wall decor, maps, organizers. The main material for production is PLA plastic, which does not harm either children's health or the environment. There's even a glow-in-the-dark version, an eco-friendly bioplastic made from corn starch. It has no toxic fumes and allows you to create detailed figures even in simple conditions. In addition, it can be painted, processed, and combined, which makes it possible to make completely different items, the main thing is to have the right layout. We either create and calculate every millimeter of the layout ourselves with our children and husband, or we use ready-made layouts from the Internet," she says.

Kateryna Kondratiuk's sons, who are always involved in working with 3D printers. Photos provided by the interviewee

Kateryna soon received her first orders. Among the promising areas for mass sales were developmental schools, kindergartens, coffee shops with children's corners, and stores looking for an affordable alternative to expensive LEGO. A lot of applications were received for individual orders. So the Kherson woman has already figured out how to scale production in terms of automation. And most importantly, she has used her business and new skills in her volunteer work.

Children need it

Since the NGO Kateryna volunteers for also works with children in Kherson, her educational toys have become part of a good cause. After all, in a city that is shelled daily, children need emotional relief and opportunities for full development. This is what the woman now provides for both the youngest and oldest residents of Kherson.

"Every time I look at my children, at those who evacuated from the red zone, lost their parents, at other children, my heart breaks. They are living their childhood in a way that is not what it should be. That is why we want to give them at least a little joy, to relieve the tension they are under every day and to make sure that they have normal conditions and at least some opportunities for development. At the moment, neither schools nor kindergartens are working as they used to, and it is increasingly difficult to focus children on their studies. And while there are at least children's rooms for the youngest from international partners, there is nothing for teenagers. So I decided to create something that would interest and motivate them. This is how weekly classes at our center appeared, for which I made a number of educational toys. Now we are developing and emotionally relieving ourselves together," the volunteer explains.

Kateryna created the toys using 3D printing. Photo provided by the interviewee

Kateryna made the toys for these classes at her own expense. They include balancers, mazes, board games for the development of logical thinking and memory, puzzles, various puzzle pieces, and so on. All this, she says, allows children to forget about the war for a moment and relax. In addition, Kateryna creates wish cards together with the teenagers, which also sets them up for a positive attitude and gives them faith in a brighter future.

Printing for victory

In addition to volunteering with the Kherson Help Center, Kateryna, her husband and children are also dedicated to helping Ukraine's defenders. She considers it her duty. Thus, she regularly holds fundraisers for the needs of soldiers on her social media pages, and at home she actively develops sketches and layout schemes, which are then used by her printers to print auxiliary parts for drones and more.

"As it turned out, 3D printing can be useful not only for business and children's development, but also has the potential to help our soldiers. And I am glad to have this opportunity. Nowadays, the guys need our support on a daily basis, and often it is necessary to close a request, as they say, "for yesterday," and it is not so easy to do. The collections are slow now, so we decided to work in a different way. Now I buy plastic and print for the sake of victory what we can send to our guys as soon as possible," says the volunteer.

For the most part, Kateryna produces the necessary parts at her own expense, but when there are more requests, she asks for help from Kherson residents and her other subscribers. In particular, it happened in March this year on her birthday.

"I don't know how to ask for help, but I will always help. That's why I didn't immediately cover this branch of my activity. But sometimes the time comes when you have to ask for support. And I am happy that I have so many wonderful people in my environment, in social networks, who actively join the meetings and support my every initiative. Thanks to them, we managed to raise 10,000 hryvnias this March. I added what people gave me and a little bit of my own money, and the total amount was 17,000 UAH, which was enough to buy the necessary amount of plastic," Kateryna says.

Kateryna Kondratiuk. Photo provided by the interviewee

In almost a year, the volunteer printers have produced more than 1,000 auxiliary elements for the drones. The woman promises not to stop there until she needs to print souvenirs to congratulate people on the Victory. She adds that she will continue to raise funds from her and her NGO. For this cause, she also engages her 3D toys by using them in charity raffles. For every penny she receives, Katia makes sure to report on social media so that people understand that the funds are used for the specified purposes and that even the smallest donations are important.

The items are made on a 3D printer. Photos provided by the interviewee

A small dream for a big future

3D printing helped Kateryna not only start her own business with the opportunity to help those in need, but also gave her faith in herself and her own strength. Now she dreams of realizing another of her ideas, again for the benefit of others. She explains:

"These are not the best times for children, and this will definitely have its impact on their psyche and health, so after the victory, we must do everything to help them adjust to normal life. They are the future of our nation, and what kind of Ukrainians they will be depends on us adults. So I have a small dream for their big future - after the victory, I want to create a place in Kherson where children can come for good emotions and where they can develop. It will be a modern playground with various areas for active recreation and development. We already had an attempt to start creating something like this, but the war broke out, so we had to postpone it."

As long as the war is on and the security situation in Kherson is not the best, it is impossible to start any work, but Kateryna is not wasting time and is gradually thinking about the future project. She emphasizes:

"The story with the printers and the grant convinced me that we, Ukrainians, are capable of creating and doing incredible things even in the most difficult moments. We do not have an advantage over the enemy in numbers, but we have something else - strong faith, unbreakable will, strength of spirit and big kind hearts. And that's why we will definitely win. We just need to make a little more effort."

Photo provided by the interviewee

Анна Шаповал