Metinvest, together with the UN, will create rehabilitation centers for Ukrainians affected by the war

The first center will be opened in Zaporizhzhia in July 2023

The humanitarian initiative «Saving Lives» of the Metinvest Group and the UN Global Compact (GC) in Ukraine will create centers for psychological rehabilitation and support for civilians affected by the war in the regions where the company operates. The first one will appear in Zaporizhzhia in July 2023. It is stated in a message from Metinvest.

The intentions are set out in a memorandum of cooperation between «Saving Lives», the UN GC in Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhia Regional Council.

The UN GC in Ukraine will develop the concept and programs of psychological assistance, train psychologists and staff of the center, and organize its functioning.

«Saving Lives» has experience and infrastructure expertise in organizing the work of rehabilitation and medical centers, implementing initiatives in the field of psychological and social assistance. The initiative will help equip and furnish the premises for the center, as well as attract psychologists and staff.

The Zaporizhzhia Regional Council promised to solve all the necessary technical and organizational issues.

“Our task as a socially responsible company is to systematically help Ukrainians overcome the difficulties and pain of the war. «Saving Lives» together with partners is already developing areas of rehabilitation and prosthetics for military and civilian, psychological recovery of women and children. Now is the time to create centers in the cities where Metinvest has a presence, which will help civilians recover and integrate into society,” said the CEO of Metinvest Group Yuriy Ryzhenkov.

He added that the company’s partner in this project, the UN Global Compact in Ukraine, has significant experience in this area. Yuriy Ryzhenkov expressed hope that by joining forces the parties would be able to minimize the harm to the mental health of Ukrainians.

The center in Zaporizhzhia will be a continuation of the Mental Help project initiated by the UN GC in Ukraine. This is an online platform that provides professional psychological assistance to Ukrainians. With the advent of the Zaporizhzhia center, the initiative will go offline for the first time. The city was chosen as a location because it is a big hub for people who felt the consequences of the war.

“The UN Global Compact in Ukraine and «Saving Lives» have a common goal – to make psychological assistance available to every Ukrainian. It is very valuable for us to find a partner who shares our values ​​and desire to move the project forward, and who, even in the face of uncertainty, believes in the importance of this initiative,” said the CEO of the UNGC in Ukraine Tatyana Sakharuk.

The «Saving Lives» initiative was created by the Metinvest Group in coordination with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine. During the year of the war, the project helped almost 500 thousand people, the amount of assistance was € 8.4 million. Ukrainians received more than 4 thousand tons products and hygiene products; hospitals – medications, consumables and equipment for more than €246,000. More than 200 companies from all over the world became donors to the project, 400 volunteers and 10 foundations and public organizations joined the initiative.

The UN Global Compact in Ukraine is the Ukrainian network of the world’s largest community of responsible businesses. Metinvest Group joined the UN GC in 2010.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in June 2022, the information and analytical center GMK Center signed a memorandum about mutual understanding with «Saving Lives». The agreement was signed in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and help the population of Ukraine. You can support the activities of the «Saving Lives» project by link.