STARKVILLE — Alneshia Branch sits on the front porch of her trailer home in Oktibbeha County and makes a phone call. Across the world in an apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, Ludmila Baranichenko picks up the phone.
Though the two college students didn’t know each other just a few months ago, they now talk weekly as a part of ENGin, a global nonprofit that connects young English speakers to youth in Ukraine for one-on-one online language practice and cross-cultural exchange.
“A few months ago, I was looking for a volunteer opportunity I could do online,” Branch said. “I just really wanted the opportunity to give back in a way that was community based that fit with my schedule.”
Branch said her pairing with Baranichenko is one of 11,000 student-volunteer pairs in the ENGin program. The organization’s mission, as stated on their website, is to connect Ukraine to the world to propel the country’s postwar reconstruction and longer-term economic and social development.
“It’s not really tutoring,” Branch said. “You basically just have normal conversations like you would with a friend. It’s not just teaching them. It’s getting to know them, telling about our culture, learning about theirs. You get to know your buddies, especially with what they’re going through in Ukraine.”
ENGin pairs Ukrainian students between the ages of 9-35 with global volunteers aged 14 and up. Branch said parents who fall within the volunteer age range can also include their children in the calls.
Branch said when she signed up, she had to go through an interview and assessment test, which paired her up with her buddies. She now has three buddies including Baranichenko, but also two others named Yana and Andre.
When Branch and Baranichenko sat down on a FaceTime call for their regular session on Wednesday morning, they started talking about anything and everything, including cults, conspiracy theories, audiobooks, Ukrainian housing, American foods and more.
Some things the pair have in common, while others surprise them.
Baranichenko said her biggest surprise was seeing an American Walmart for the first time, which Branch showed to her on a livestream.
“I was surprised by the pharmacy and the shops inside of it,” Baranichenko said. “You have a pharmacy and you can get pizza and alcohol and anything you want. It’s so big.”
Baranichenko said she was also surprised by how different the educational system and language learning is in each country.
Besides their common interests and differences, Branch said the pair also talks about the war that is ongoing in Ukraine and air alerts that affect Baranichenko on a daily basis. But Branch said the subject is a sensitive one.
Baranichenko told The Dispatch her everyday life is often interrupted by the fighting, which has changed the way she plans her day.
“It’s not the same,” Baranichenko said. “Our lives completely changed. Before, if you sat at a meeting with someone, you were pretty sure it would be completed. But nowadays, you can’t… believe that everything will be accomplished in one day. The situation is unexpected, and you can never know what will happen.”
Baranichenko said she is glad she has been able to practice English with Branch, so she can make a bigger impact on the world once the war is over.
“I wish Ukrainian people would impact the world in a bigger way, in a good way,” Baranichenko said. “Something we can bring to society to bring good to others.”
For more information on ENGin, visit enginprogram.org.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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