Veterans visit newly created space in Lviv Oblast: how veteran communities return defenders to civilian life
A veterans’ space “Svoi do svoi” has been launched in Horodok, Lviv Oblast. This is the fifth space to be launched in the Lviv region on the initiative of the NGO “Association of Volunteers”, with the support of partners from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund and the MHP for Community Charitable Foundation.
“Our Foundation supports spaces and develops veteran communities in different communities across the country. Today, veterans returning from the frontline need social integration, legal and psychological support. A comfortable environment for communication and exchange of experience helps not only veterans to adapt to civilian life, but also supports their families. By supporting veterans’ spaces, we not only show our gratitude to the defenders for their service, but also invest in community development,” says Oleksandr Pakholyuk, Director of the MHP for Communities Charitable Foundation.
“In the Svoi do Svoi space, military personnel, veterans and their families can get legal advice, as well as psychological and social support. After returning from service, our defenders face various challenges, both physical and psychological.
“It is important for every defender to be met by someone: family, friends or comrades-in-arms. The veterans’ spaces that our company supports as part of the MHP Poruch reintegration programme for military and veterans are about this meeting. Here we always wait for those who return from the frontline. Here are our brothers-in-arms and those who are ready to support us, to help us in word or deed,” says Tatiana Valanchyus, director of Zakhid-Agro MHP.
Olena Zhyvko, head of the NGO “Association of Volunteers”, adds: “The most important thing in the spaces is not the renovation or new windows, although this is also important. The main thing is the services that veterans can receive. If the space is not ready to help solve their issues, then even the presence of golden windows will not matter. We do our best to ensure that our spaces bring people together, become a meeting place and, most importantly, are filled with qualified professionals.”
The opening of the space was attended by representatives of the authorities and NGOs, but the main guests were veterans and their families.
Taras, a soldier, paratrooper with the 80th Air Assault Brigade, who was wounded and underwent treatment. He turned to the volunteers of the veterans’ space for help and shared his own experience: “Legal advice, organising children’s parties or just talking over a cup of coffee is what helps veterans feel supported. I can’t afford to go out to a cafe now, when my brothers-in-arms are at the front, but it’s important to meet them in a small circle, away from the noise of the city. After I was wounded, all the paperwork turned into a living hell for me. But when I turned to the hub, they organised everything, filled out the documents and accompanied me throughout my treatment. This is incredibly important.”
The main financial support for construction materials was provided by the MHP for Community Charitable Foundation as part of the MHP Poruch programme for the reintegration of military and veterans. The Horodok City Council provided the premises for the space, covers all the costs of its maintenance, and also helped with part of the repair costs. The furniture and equipment were purchased by the NGO “Association of Volunteers” at the expense of the Ukrainian Veterans Fund of the Ministry of Veterans.