On February 24, 2022, Olga Hamama was already awake before the first Russian rockets hit Ukrainian soil.

Hamama's mother had a hospital appointment in Freiburg, and they left Frankfurt at four in the morning.

"Around five o'clock in the morning we got calls from relatives that the cities were being bombed," says the 40-year-old Ukrainian.

She sat in the car, the calls and messages on her cell phone, the wheel between her hands.

And she had to keep going, two more hours.

“In my head, I quickly went into the mode: we have to do something.

I knew right away it was more than just a threat.”

Kim Maurus

volunteer.

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73 days later, Olga Hamama is standing in the Messe Frankfurt Congress Center.

It's Mother's Day, the sun is shining.

Inside, the action day “Lighthouse Ukraine” takes place.

Initiatives stand at stands and point out their offers of help for refugees from Ukraine, there is free water and coffee, in an adjoining room glucose and cuddly toys are piled up.

Children romp around, teenagers unpack toys.

Hamama walks through the rooms, checking that everything is all right.

She is stopped every few meters.

Whoever greets them hugs them.

Then things get hectic.

The Consul General of Ukraine in Frankfurt, who is about to speak on the stage, is unexpectedly absent.

Hamama is typing away on her cell phone, making calls, typing again.

"Stay optimistic," she says.

20 minutes later a representative of the consul is on the stage.

The event is a small part of the work Hamama has been doing since the outbreak of war.

Together with acquaintances and partners from several countries, Hamama founded the "United for Ukraine" initiative.

They are now more than 55 people and have up to 200 helpers depending on the project.

Part of the team works in Frankfurt, but colleagues are also based in Berlin, Switzerland, the USA and throughout Europe.

An employee works in Bali.

"We often think about how we've accomplished so much in such a short time," she says.

Active from day one

Hamama is a lawyer with a focus on international sports law, she studied at the Goethe University in Frankfurt.

At the age of 19 she came to Germany for the first time for a semester abroad.

"It was coincidence," she says.

Originally she wanted to go to the USA, but the confirmation from Frankfurt came faster.

Then she stayed – at least for the time being.

After graduating, she worked for the law firm Freshfields for more than ten years and lived in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Russia.

Five years ago she moved back to the city on the Main with her husband, who comes from Frankfurt, and their two children.

Hamama works as an arbitrator, including for the International Court of Arbitration for Sport.

At the end of 2019 she founded a small law firm, based in the Techquartier in Frankfurt.

Almost a dozen employees from “United for Ukraine” are now sitting in a room made available by the business incubator.

A few of them fled Ukraine after the war began, and Hamama has been friends with others for years.

Projects are scribbled on a whiteboard on the wall, and on another wall is a small map of Europe with markings in almost every country.

Ukrainian flags hang on the windows, employees sit at tables with laptops and mobile phones on them.

If you want to work against the war, you don't need much more than your own head, a WLAN connection and a large network like Hamama has.

Back then, on February 24, Hamama says she held a first meeting with other volunteers in the morning.

It quickly became clear to them that they needed a website to answer the most important questions for Ukrainian refugees.

Can I cross the border without a passport?

Where can I stay?

“One thing that made us different was the direct contact with the people of Ukraine.

We knew what was happening and who was fleeing where,” she says.

Her relationships also helped.

Within three days, they rounded up more than 200 lawyers in about 20 countries who wanted to help.