Daria Vorobieva, President And Member of the Committee
Daria Vorobieva was born in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. She is a graduate of the Institute of Economics and Computer Technology. She works as a professional photographer. Daria is the author of several artistic projects that show the social and environmental problems in the Zaporizhzhia region, such as: “I Want to Breathe” (against air pollution in the industrial zone of the City), “My new life after the Divorce,” “Life after 50”, “My body is my business”, “Old mothers – young mothers”, “Cancer: we must not be silent”, “No to violence against women.” Daria is married. She has two children, aged 17 and 14. The war forced Daria to leave her hometown of Zaporizhzhia with her children. Since her arrival in Switzerland, Daria has worked as a volunteer to help her compatriots. In her spare time, Daria continues to devote herself to her artistic projects.

Olga Ho, Vice-President and Member of the Committee
Olga Ho was born in Mariupol, Ukraine, in 1977. She has lived in Switzerland since the early 2000s. She graduated from Mariupol Polytechnic School in 1996. She also trained as a health assistant at the Red Cross, Lausanne, and currently works as a nurse’s aide at Nova Vita Residence. She enjoys interacting with people and listening to their needs. Communication and sharing have an essential place in her daily life. She has been volunteering for several years in different fields. In her spare time, Olga is interested in art and nature. Olga is married and has an 18-year-old daughter. She works as a voluntary translator for Ukrainian refugees.

Madina Kukenova, Secretary and Member of the Committee
Madina was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 1974. Madina came to Switzerland in 2002, where she studied Economics and Finance at the University of Lausanne. With a doctorate in Economics from the HEC faculty, Madina teaches Economics and Finance in several business schools. In addition, Madina works as an independent consultant for research projects in Economics. Madina is married, and she has two children who love classical music. Since the spring of 2022, Madina has been involved in volunteering for Ukrainian refugees.

Nataliia Nikitina, Member of the Committee
Nataliia joined the Together association in 2024. She is actively involved in the Théâtre de l’Espoir, where she creates costumes and stage decorations, and also contributed to the organisation of the Job Fair for migrant and refugee women in 2025. She has lived in Switzerland since 2022 and works in a public school, supporting children with learning difficulties. Trained in linguistics and holding an MBA in educational planning, Nataliia has solid experience in education, social support, and assistance for children with disabilities. She also volunteers as a mentor for young people and refugees and took part in the preparation of the Fête du Bourg de Coppet 2025 as a member of the decoration committee.

Artem Gontarenko, Member of the Committee
Arten joined the Together association in 2024. His background combines humanitarian experience in Switzerland with expertise in supply chain, procurement, and project management. Trained in architecture and holding an MBA, he brings a structured, versatile, and action-oriented profile. He also volunteers as a mentor for young people and refugees, took part in the preparation of the Fête du Bourg de Coppet as a member of the decoration committee, and contributed to the success of the Job Fair 2025.

Denys Kochenko, Member of the Committee
Denys is co-leader of the Chœur du Cœur and joined the Together association in the summer of 2025. He studies biology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, specialising in embryology, with a particular interest in reproductive biology and reproductive medicine. Since 2023, Denys has been volunteering to support Ukrainian refugees through language teaching, professional integration assistance, and medical interpretation. Within Together, he contributes to the organisation of classical concerts and charity events, combining social engagement, scientific rigour, and artistic sensitivity.

Tetiana Mamaieva, Media Manager
Tetiana created and manages the association’s website, as well as its social media pages. She is a member of the Ukrainian Suisse chorus Choer du Cœur choir. She came to Switzerland in 2022 and entered the University of Lausanne in the same year. In January 2023 she joined the association, where she conducts math exam preparation courses and participates in various projects. Tatyana is a math teacher with 20 years of experience. She graduated from Odessa National University named after I.I. Mechnikov and regularly improves her qualification level. In her work she uses modern teaching methods, motivates students and understands their individual needs.

Yuriy Semerich, Vice-President of Educational Projects, Member of the Committee
Yuriy was born in Germany and received his education in Ukraine. He graduated from Kharkov University of Radioelectronics with a degree in Applied Mathematics. He has a second degree in Information Systems in Management. After postgraduate studies at the Institute of Machine Building Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, he defended his PhD thesis in Physical and Mathematical Sciences. For a long time he worked as an assistant professor in various universities and taught higher mathematics. The last years he worked in IT-companies on development and support of information systems. He is passionately interested in information technologies, programming languages, history, culture and foreign languages. He has been conducting his activities in Together since November 2022. In the summer of 2023, he organized a series of mathematics classes for children « A-mathematiques » at the Children’s Library of Lausanne. Currently he teaches mathematics to school-age children refugees.

Advisory Board

Florent Blaser
Florent has a Bachelor’s degree in social work and a wealth of professional experience in the field of social aid, guardianship and the integration of refugees. Florent is the founder of the AidUkraine.ch association, which supports Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland and collects humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Florent is also a committee member of the Renges communal oven association and a member of Amnesty International. In his spare time, his favourite activities include playing sport and listening to music.

Daniel Richard
Daniel Richard was born in France in 1946. From an early age, he was fascinated by Slavic cultures and languages. He obtained a degree in Russian from the University of Aix-en-Provence and studied Serbo-Croatian in Yugoslavia. He has lived in Switzerland since 1971 and taught French as a foreign language at the « Eurocentre » language school for 30 years. He also worked as a French teacher at the Etablissement Vaudois d’Accueil des Migrants – EVAM. Since February 2022, Daniel Richard has been working as a volunteer translator to help Ukrainian refugees with their administrative formalities.

Adrien Fontanellaz
Born in Lausanne in 1978, Adrien has worked in the energy sector for 16 years. He also works as an independent researcher specialising in the study of contemporary conflicts. He is the author of several books and articles on these subjects, with an emphasis on Africa (Angola, Ethiopia, Uganda) and Asia (Japan, Sri Lanka) and, more recently, Ukraine.

Heads of projects

Olga Zhurova, Volunteer Animator, Expert in Suisse Culture
Olga Zhurova was born in the city of Chelyabinsk, Ural. She graduated from the Faculty of History of the Chelyabinsk Pedagogical Institute. Olga has lived and worked in different countries. She is passionate about medieval history, particularly that of medieval Switzerland. In her spare time, Olga organizes fun and entertaining excursions for children and adults in Lausanne and the surrounding area. She enjoys revealing the secrets of Swiss cathedrals, castles, mountains, and lakes and freely exploring historical events. For the little ones, Olga also offers a series of excursions on pirates and witches, medieval monsters, and city dwellers. Poetry and silk painting occupy much of her free time.

Daria Zalesskaya, Translation Support and Slavic Cultures Expert 
Daria was born in Moscow. A graduate of the Moscow State Linguistic University, Faculty of French, she has a doctorate from the University of Lausanne. She is currently a lecturer and researcher at the University of Lausanne in the section of Slavic languages and cultures. She teaches French to Ukrainian refugees. Daria participates in the projects Cultural Travel in Ukraine and Cultural Travel in Switzerland.

Zhanna Gutova, Expert of Artistic Projects
Zhanna, a graphic artist graduated from the Polygraphic Institute of Simferopol, has taught academic drawing in various countries, including Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, and Ukraine. Having arrived in Switzerland in 2022, she joined the team at Artiloft, an art school in Lausanne, in 2023. Additionally, she works closely with the Lausanne City Library and the Association Together, conducting several artistic workshops such as « Monumental Journey between Switzerland and Ukraine, » « Artistic Journeys from Ukraine to Switzerland, » and « Artistic Journeys from Ukraine to the Ends of the Earth. » She has also played a key role in designing and implementing the drawing contest « Tales of My Country. »

Anna Haidash, Volunteer
Anna was born in Chernomorsk, in the Odessa region of Ukraine. She was born in 2000.
She graduated from university in her home town, where she studied to become a cook, waitress and barmaid. She obtained a 4th category cook diploma in the city of Odessa. She has worked in one speciality and others that have nothing to do with cooking.
She loves animals, especially reptiles and amphibians. She writes non-professional texts and dreams of one day writing a book in collaboration with a loved one. She is also interested in photography in her spare time.
Arrived in Switzerland in May 2023. Studies French on language courses. Volunteers to help organise leisure activities for children. Will accept any help she can give.