Draft:Bird of Light

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  • Comment: Unfortunately I don't see evidence that this organisation meets our eligibility criteria for a standalone page based on the sources provided. Your first reference is probably the best source, but it's largely about the organisation's founder and doesn't provide significant coverage of the organisation itself. The other references have a similar issue. Are there any sources that go into greater detail about Bird of Light? MCE89 (talk) 14:49, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
Bird of Light Ukraine
FounderZhanna Galeyeva; Isaac Yeung
Founded atChernivtsi, Ukraine
TypeNonprofit charitable organization
Legal status501(c)(3) public charity (U.S.); registered charitable organization (Ukraine)
PurposeHumanitarian aid; cultural advocacy
Region served
Ukraine
Websitewww.birdoflightukraine.org

Bird of Light Ukraine is a Ukrainian–American charitable organization that delivers humanitarian aid in Ukraine and produces public advocacy campaigns about the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on children. It operates through a Ukrainian non-governmental organization and an affiliated United States 501(c)(3) public charity, Bird of Light Foundation Inc.[1][2] The organization is best known for Empty Beds, a touring advocacy installation about Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children that has been exhibited in New York, Tokyo, and European venues including the European Parliament.[3][4][1]

History

Bird of Light Ukraine was founded in 2022 after co-founders Zhanna Galeyeva and Isaac Yeung, who had travelled to Ukraine in 2021, remained in the country following the full-scale Russian invasion and began organizing aid deliveries from the southwestern city of Chernivtsi.[1][5] Galeyeva repurposed "Bird of Light", an artisanal fashion brand she had prepared to launch in New York, as the name for the new initiative.[1] The U.S. arm, Bird of Light Foundation Inc., was subsequently registered as a federal tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity.[2]

In April 2022, former U.S. congressman Tom Perriello worked with the organization on a fundraising effort in Charlottesville, Virginia that raised about $1 million for food, basic needs, and drones used to monitor civilian evacuation routes.[6]

By 2026, the organization reported having provided more than $7 million in humanitarian assistance and reached about 675,000 people.[1][7]

Activities

Humanitarian and medical aid

From 2022, Bird of Light Ukraine delivered emergency food, hygiene, and medical supplies in Ukraine, initially sourcing goods with local partners.[5][1] Its work later broadened from emergency relief toward longer-term programs, including water supply, support for children's institutions, and community centres for displaced people.[1][7]

Empty Beds

Empty Beds is the organization's flagship advocacy project, drawing attention to the abduction and forced transfer of Ukrainian children by Russia.

The project began in October 2024 as an outdoor photographic installation in Manhattan's Little Ukraine, created by the artist Phil Buehler in collaboration with Bird of Light Ukraine. The work, which displayed life-size photographs of the beds of abducted children, was covered by The Guardian.[8] In February 2025, an Empty Beds exhibit was presented in Tokyo, where it featured testimony from a returned Ukrainian child and was reported by the Japanese broadcaster NHK and the newspaper Sankei Shimbun.[9][10]

In 2026, Galeyeva and Yeung developed the concept into a three-dimensional touring installation — a life-size recreation of the bedroom of "Artem", a composite 13-year-old based on the accounts of real abducted children.[3][1] After an initial showing at the Europa Experience venue in Luxembourg in March 2026, it was presented at the European Parliament in Brussels in April, in an initiative promoted by European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno, and at the European Commission headquarters in May, coinciding with a meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.[3][11][4][7] In June 2026 the installation was shown in Rome at the European Parliament's Europa Experience – David Sassoli space; visitors included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk.[3][12]

Organization

Bird of Light Ukraine is registered in Ukraine as a charitable organization. Its U.S. affiliate, Bird of Light Foundation Inc., is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) public charity.[2]

See also

References

  1. Powers, Chris (May 26, 2026). "A Ukrainian child's bedroom goes on tour to confront Europe with Russia's abductions". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  2. "Bird Of Light Foundation Inc — Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  3. "I bambini ucraini rapiti, la guerra in cameretta: sono migliaia i letti vuoti" [The abducted Ukrainian children, the war in a child's bedroom: the empty beds number in the thousands]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). June 29, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  4. Rankin, Jennifer (May 12, 2026). "Teen bedroom art installation shines spotlight on Ukraine's stolen children". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  5. Huang, Robyn (April 7, 2022). "She visited Ukraine to reconnect with her dad. Now she's deploying aid". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  6. Murray, Dominga (April 28, 2022). "Charlottesville pours $1M into Ukrainian aid". WVIR-TV. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  7. "Empty Beds installation dedicated to Ukrainian children abducted by Russia opens at the European Parliament" [У Європарламенті відкрилась виставка «Порожні ліжка»]. Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). April 14, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  8. "Empty Beds: a mural highlights the abduction of Ukrainian children". The Guardian. October 28, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  9. "Empty Beds exhibit held in Tokyo". NHK (in Japanese). February 23, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  10. "Coverage of Empty Beds in Tokyo". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). February 23, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  11. "Guerra Ucraina, al Parlamento Ue la cameretta dei bambini rapiti: il progetto 'Empty Beds'" [Ukraine war: the bedroom of abducted children at the EU Parliament, the 'Empty Beds' project]. Sky TG24 (in Italian). April 14, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  12. "La cameretta di Artem rapito dai russi e l'installazione che denuncia l'invasione dell'Ucraina: Empty Beds, letti vuoti". QN Quotidiano Nazionale (in Italian). June 28, 2026. Retrieved July 1, 2026.

Category:Charities based in New York City Category:Organizations established in 2022