The relevant memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the International Renaissance Foundation was signed during the first meeting of the International Coalition of Countries for the Return of Ukrainian Children. The meeting was also attended by the Chairman of the Open Society Foundations, Alexander Soros.
The International Coalition of Countries for the Return of Ukrainian Children was launched during a meeting of national security advisors and diplomatic advisors in Malta on October 28-29, attended by representatives of 66 countries and international organizations. The initiative is a logical continuation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Bring Kids Back UA plan and will facilitate the return of Ukrainian children who were deported or forcibly displaced by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
“Russia, having unleashed a war, forced Ukrainian children to witness cruelty: bombings, rocket attacks, explosions, murders and violence. Tens of thousands of children have been deported by the occupiers. Our soldiers are doing their best every day to put an end to these horrors. Our task as a state is to return little Ukrainians home, to ensure that those responsible are held accountable, and to provide all opportunities for psychological rehabilitation of children who suffered from the horrors of war,” said Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine. “I am grateful to our international partners and representatives of civil society for joining us and helping to solve this problem. When we were considering options for creating a psychological rehabilitation hub, we saw the great potential of Odesa region. Today we are taking a step in this direction.”
The signed memorandum envisages joint work in the field of psychological rehabilitation and psychological support for citizens, including family members of military personnel, families of those killed in the war, prisoners of war and internally displaced persons from the territories where hostilities are taking place and the de-occupied territories.
“We strive to strengthen those who need our help the most. That is why supporting the physical and mental health of war victims is one of the important priorities for our Foundation,” said Oleksandr Sushko, Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation, “Today, Ukrainian children who are experiencing the horrors of war need support. Their rehabilitation, which we will work on together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, helps not only to restore their condition, but also to secure their future, improve their opportunities and conditions for development. This is an investment in our common future as a country.”
Two pilot institutions in the Odesa region were selected to implement cooperation projects under the memorandum: The Ukrainian Medical Center for Rehabilitation of Mother and Child of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Specialized (Special) Sanatorium “Arcadia” of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Training of medical workers is planned. In addition, stakeholders and potential investors will be sought to set up modular medical and rehabilitation centers, as well as to upgrade the material and technical base and medical equipment.
