David Beckham handed over his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor in Kharkiv on Sunday.
The retired football star said in a video he’d be “handing over [his] social channels to Iryna, the Head of the Regional Perinatal Centre in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where she is helping mothers give birth.”
Iryna works as a pediatric anesthesiologist, and used the 46-year-old’s platform to show her hospital’s response amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
David captioned the video: “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.”
Iryna, who normally works as “head of Kharkiv’s regional perinatal center and a child anesthesiologist,” explained on the footballer’s Instagram stories how her responsibilities have changed during the Russian attack.
She said: “I unload cargo, I work on logistics and I offer emotional support.”
Today, our Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham hands over his @Instagram to Iryna, the head of the perinatal centre at a hospital in Kharkiv, #Ukraine.
Tune in to learn about her heroic work helping mothers give birth in the midst of war.
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) March 20, 2022
The doctor said that in the early days of the attack, patients were evacuated to the basement (except babies, who could not be moved due to immovable life-saving equipment).
She said: “The first days were the most difficult. We had to learn how to work with bombings and strikes. We are probably risking our lives, but we don’t think about it at all. We love our work.”
David and his wife Victoria Beckham previously launched an emergency fund through his 7 Fund for UNICEF, which is a nonprofit that provides immediate aid for children and families affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
