Sharvarok: A New Space for Opportunities and Mutual Support!
Lisa Hots
How the idea became reality
The new Sharvarok platform is becoming a real unifying tool among Ukrainians in the United States. The idea, which grew from a dream, became available for implementation in November 2024. Its founder is Yarema Kuzyshyn, co-founder and financial director of the NGO “Hromada” in San Francisco.
“The main principle of Sharvarok is community and mutual assistance,” says Yarema Kuzyshyn. This platform is designed to help expats find housing, jobs, services, communities, and create new contacts in a convenient online environment.
What does the name Sharvarok mean?
The name “Sharvarok” derives from the Ukrainian word sharvarok (or shyrvarok), referring to collective labor from Ukrainian history and culture. In the times of Rus-Ukraine, this meant collective work for the benefit of the community, when people joined their efforts to build bridges, roads, or other important infrastructure. This tradition of mutual assistance and joint work became the inspiration for the creation of the platform.
Sharvarok symbolizes a place where Ukrainians can help each other, share resources, and unite to achieve common goals. It is an fitting name, as it emphasizes the idea of unity, support, and development that underlies the project.
Differences and advantages of Sharvarok
Sharvarok features 8 main categories: housing, services, events, dating, job listings, organizations, community, purchase and sale. The biggest advantage of the site is its bilingualism and ease of use. Users can post ads in Ukrainian while the system automatically translates them into English. This is especially important for newcomers who do not yet have a high level of English.
One of the popular sections is “Events,” where you can post information about the event, add it to your calendar, add a link to purchase tickets, and share the event on social networks or via QR code. The “Dating” section attracts special attention, which allows you to find new friends or even love.
The “Jobs” category provides platform users with the opportunity to search for jobs for free, and there is a special discount system for employers. In addition, Sharvarok features resources for non-profit organizations, cultural centers, schools, and diplomatic missions, which makes adaptation easier for newly arrived Ukrainians.
Challenges and solutions
The process of creating Sharvarok was not easy. According to Yarema Kuzyshyn, the biggest challenge was to think through convenient and understandable functionality, to fill the most desired categories. “Understanding user requests and taking the best practices of similar platforms, we adapted them to the needs of our community,” he explains.
Sharvarok simplifies the registration process: users can log in via social networks or Google account. This minimizes time and ensures data protection. So, from the moment you enter the site to the moment you publish your ad, only a few minutes pass.
For the convenience of posting and cost-effectiveness, users are offered a discount system. For example, there is a 5% discount for paying for three months of advertising, 10% for six months, and 15% for a year.
The Sharvarok team
“I want to thank the entire team,” says Kuzishyn. “Without like-minded people, highly professional specialists, volunteers, and people of goodwill, this project would not have been possible,” says Yarema Kuzyshyn.
At each stage of the project, a different number of people were involved. It all depended on what task we were working on.
What is most important is that everyone was imbued with the idea of the platform, its necessity and importance for the Ukrainian community in the US. The most important thing is its mission: to promote the unification of communities, as well as to continue funding the initiatives of the non-profit organization “Hromada” from San Francisco, which it has been implementing for the past seven years in Ukraine.
“I send personal thanks to the entire team, namely:
Victoria Kalinichenko, Anastasia Volska, Yuri Bondarchuk, Danylo Vegera, Yevhen Sukharenko, Yevhen Maidansky, Serhiy Stefansky, Jules Christopher Regout, Olga Nakhodkina, Andriy Rizhko, Khrystyna Skyba, Ksenia Bondarchuk, Tetyana Hnatiuk, Ivan Hayda, Maryna Anisovych, Vova zi Lvova, Dmytro Halan, Anastasia Nalyvayko, Anna Shpuk, Tetyana Chupryna, Natalia Turenkova.
Future plans
Currently, Sharvarok is focused on Ukrainians in the US, but plans to expand to Canada and the European Union. The decision to enter new markets will be made depending on demand and the dynamics of the platform’s development.
In addition, the possibility of creating a mobile application is also being considered. However, currently there is a mobile version of the site that works through a browser, but over time, if users need it, it is planned to launch a full-fledged application.
Social mission
Sharvarok is not only a commercial project, but also an important social tool. Part of the income from paid services will be directed to support the humanitarian initiatives of the NGO “Hromada” and its foundation “Anhelyk”. Thus, every dollar paid on the platform will make a difference for the better!
