He Went to Ukraine — Then Gave Up His Career to Help Thousands

In 1994, Canadian businessman Lloyd Cenaiko traveled to Ukraine with his father to visit the places their family had come from. He wanted to meet relatives, learn about his family’s history and see a country he’d heard about for much of his life.

At the time, Lloyd had a successful career in commercial real estate. He had worked hard to build a comfortable life in Canada, and the trip was supposed to be a chance to reconnect with his roots.

But what he saw in Ukraine affected him so deeply that he eventually walked away from his career to help the people living there.

A Family Trip That Changed His Plans

Lloyd grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan and attended the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned degrees in science and education. He spent several years teaching before moving into business and eventually finding success in real estate development.

By the early 1990s, his career was going well. He was earning a good living and had established himself professionally.

Ukraine, meanwhile, was going through enormous changes. The country had gained independence from the Soviet Union only a few years earlier, and many communities were struggling with poverty, shortages and an uncertain economy.

As Lloyd traveled through the country, he met relatives whose lives had turned out very differently from his own. They shared the same family history, but their circumstances were worlds apart. Lloyd had grown up in Canada with opportunities that many of his Ukrainian relatives had never enjoyed.

He later compared being born in Canada to winning a lottery without ever having to buy a ticket. When he returned home, he couldn’t stop thinking about the people he’d met and the conditions they’d been living in.

He Went Back to Find a Way to Help

Lloyd began volunteering with organizations that were already working in Ukraine. In 1995, he returned to the country with one of those groups to learn more about how humanitarian assistance was being delivered. The experience opened his eyes to another problem.

Although people were genuinely trying to help, Lloyd noticed that some organizations weren’t doing a particularly good job of listening to the communities they served. Different groups sometimes duplicated each other’s work, while local people had little say in decisions affecting their own lives.

Lloyd thought there had to be a better approach. Instead of arriving with a ready-made plan, he wanted to work directly with Ukrainians who understood what their communities needed. Local people could make the decisions, while outside supporters provided funding, supplies and practical assistance. The more he became involved, the harder it was to return to his old career.

Walking Away From Real Estate

Lloyd began moving away from commercial real estate and devoted more of his time to humanitarian work. In 1996, he officially established the Humanitarian Aid Response Team, better known as HART, in Canada. The organization later incorporated in the United States in 1998.

HART began building relationships with local churches, community organizations and volunteers throughout Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe. Rather than trying to manage everything from Canada, Lloyd wanted the people living in those communities to help shape the programs.

That approach allowed HART to support families facing poverty, provide assistance to vulnerable children and help local organizations develop programs that could continue long after outside visitors went home. Over the following decades, those relationships grew into a network of people working together across borders. And when Ukraine faced another terrible crisis, those connections would become especially valuable.

When War Came to Ukraine

In February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Millions of people were forced from their homes, and communities across the country suddenly needed emergency assistance.

HART already had nearly three decades of experience working with Ukrainian partners. Its existing network helped the organization support food distribution, temporary shelter and assistance for families displaced by the fighting. Local organizations could identify urgent needs and help supplies reach people affected by the war.

HART also expanded its support for children who were struggling with the effects of displacement, separation from family members and years of uncertainty. One of its long-running programs became especially important: summer camps for children facing difficult circumstances.

Giving Thousands of Children a Summer Break

In 2025, HART raised enough money to help nearly 6,000 children attend summer camps across Ukraine. Many of those children had been displaced by the war. Others had parents serving on the front lines or were dealing with the emotional strain of living through years of conflict.

The camps offered recreation, time with other children, counseling and support from local community leaders. For children whose daily lives had been shaped by uncertainty, the programs offered something they didn’t always have at home: time to relax, play and enjoy being children.

Local churches and community organizations helped run the camps, continuing the same partnership approach Lloyd had developed years earlier.

Still Helping More Than 30 Years Later

More than three decades after that first trip with his father, Lloyd remains listed as HART’s president and founder. The organization continues supporting families throughout Ukraine, including people who have lost their homes and children who need additional care. HART also works with Save Ukraine, an organization involved in bringing Ukrainian children who were taken during the war back to their families.

Returning home is only part of the process. Families often need help rebuilding their lives, particularly when displacement and fighting have left them without ordinary household necessities.

Some of HART’s more recent work includes helping reunited families obtain beds, essential household supplies and other practical support.

After everything those children have experienced, having their own bed in a safe home is a pretty good place to start.