It was about strengthening cooperation in the educational, medical and social spheres.
Today, May 3, the head of Lviv OVA Maksym Kozytsky met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Ukraine Antonio Gazzanti Pugliese di Cotrone. The purpose of the meeting is the possibility of strengthening assistance to internally displaced persons, in particular those who belong to the most vulnerable categories of the population. The parties discussed further cooperation in the educational, medical and social spheres.
“The Order of Malta became one of the first to help residents of Ukraine who were fleeing the war. You worked continuously at checkpoints and shelters. Also, your organization helped children of orphanages, people with disabilities and everyone who really needed support. Given this effectiveness and openness, we are ready to develop new projects. In particular, we will be grateful for the support of initiatives related to the provision of psychological assistance. Lviv OVA wants to conduct additional training for psychologists in the region. They continuously work with the population in three areas – health care, education and social protection. Not every specialist was ready to help Ukrainians who suffered from the horrors of war. Therefore, it is critically important that they do it correctly,” Maksym Kozytsky emphasized.
He spoke about the activities of advisory and coordination centers, which, on the initiative of the Lviv OVA, actively work in every district of the region and help everyone who needs it free of charge. Training is also planned for representatives of the psychological service of the KCC.
“Thanks to high-quality communication with LOVA, we have the opportunity to carry out our activities much more efficiently. Together we implemented many useful projects. But I am here to assure you that the support of the Order will be even more active in the future. The field of psychological assistance is advanced for us. Ukrainians talk a lot about reconstruction. In our opinion, this process should concern not only the physical reconstruction of cities, but also psychological assistance to people. We need to save children who live in terrible realities – they suffer from rocket attacks, loss of loved ones or deportation to Russia. I am sure that we will find a way to cooperate in this sensitive area,” Antonio Gazzanti Pugliese di Cotrone said.
In addition, the head of the Lviv Region offered the Order of Malta to participate in the reconstruction of children’s hospitals in the region. This includes the West Ukrainian Children’s Medical Center, which has become a kind of hub for children from all over Ukraine. The rehabilitation department of the medical institution is planned to be renovated here already this year. According to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Ukraine, the organization is ready to cooperate with the Lviv OVA in this direction. And also to initiate the exchange of experience between Ukrainian and international specialists and training of Ukrainian doctors abroad.
During the meeting, Antonio Gazzanti Pugliese di Cotrone presented Maksym Kozytskyi with a medal of the Order – for assistance in the activities of the organization in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
For reference:
The Order of Malta is a Catholic monastic order of Hospitaller Crusaders, founded in 1099 in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
The Order is a sovereign subject of international law and maintains diplomatic relations with more than 100 states. It has its own structures in 58 countries, and more than 120 countries are actively engaged in humanitarian activities. The Order has diplomatic representations in 9 international organizations (for example: UN, EU, UNESCO, Council of Europe, WHO and UNHCR). The slogan of the Order is “Protection of faith and service to the poor.”