In Ukraine, over 30,000 people with disabilities live in institutions. They are cut off from their communities and often abandoned and forgotten. A joint NGO report. ‘ Situation on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ukraine.‘ July 2024.’ estimates that a total of 259 institutional care facilities for adults continue to operate. They include homes for people with disabilities, neuropsychological facilities for adults with mental health, cognitive or neurodevelopmental disorders, and general facilities for older people.
DHM supports two of these homes, Mohiliv and Liubomiryvka, on a regular basis and our partners also support others. These are large buildings with over 150 residents. There are staff shortages and extremely limited resources. They are usually in remote areas, meaning residents live lives of isolation and severe hardship. The war has severely impacted the mental health and well-being of residents of these institutions – increased nervousness, anxiety, and a worsening of existing mental illnesses. Our partners have developed long-term relationships with the staff and the residents – taking in basic supplies, gifts and running occasional social events.
This moving video was sent to us by our partner, Pastor Sasha, visited the ‘boarding house’ at Liubomiryvka with his wife, Iryna. There are 230 residents here and he gave a small present to each one.
Our friend and partner, Pastor Oleksandr regularly visits the care home at Mohiliv. He is pictured below delivering aid, holding a service for care home residents and delivering gifts to the elderly in the local church.
Please donate if you can, to enable us to continue supporting our amazing partners like Sasha and Oleksandr, all working non-stop to show that the most vulnerable in Ukraine are not forgotten.
The link for donations is above this post.
Please pray that the war will end, and we will be able to support our partners in building better lives for people with disabilities in Ukraine.