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Former England football captain and actor David Beckham recently handed over his Instagram account, and other social media handles to a Ukrainian doctor to highlight the “amazing” work that health workers are doing in the nation. Beckham handed over his Instagram account with over 70 million followers to Iryna, the Head of the Regional Perinatal Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where she is helping and taking care of pregnant people and babies amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Beckham spoke about the initiative through a video shared on his Instagram account and urged people to donate to charities supporting Ukraine.
He captioned the post, “Today I’m handing over my social channels to Iryna, the Head of the Regional Perinatal Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine where she is helping mothers give birth. Head over to my story highlights to learn more about the amazing work Iryna and health workers like her are doing to save lives in Ukraine. Please give what you can to support @UNICEF and people like Iryna using the donation link in my bio.”
In the video on his highlights, Iryna explained that normally, “in peacetime,” she’s the “head of Kharkiv’s regional perinatal center and a child anesthesiologist.”
Since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in late February, Iryna explained in later Instagram Story posts, her responsibilities have expanded, “I unload cargo, I work on logistics and I offer emotional support.”
Opening up about the early days of the invasion, the doctor said that patients were evacuated to the basement, though babies in intensive care had to remain in place, despite the risk, due to immovable life-saving equipment.
“The first days were the most difficult. We had to learn how to work with bombings and strikes,” she said.
David and his wife Victoria Beckham previously launched an emergency appeal via his 7 Fund for UNICEF. This non-profit organization has been on the ground in Ukraine offering immediate aid to children and families affected by the Russian invasion, reported Fox News.
Several celebrities including Mila Kunis, Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Andrew Garfield, Mark Ruffalo and Ryan Reynolds have expressed their support for Ukraine.
Recently, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made donations to numerous charities in Ukraine.
On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only.