27 September 2023
The work of the Luxembourg Red Cross in Ukraine is not limited to helping people displaced by the conflict. It also supports the reconstruction and development of the country. Thanks to donations and financial support from the Luxembourg government, a rehabilitation centre has just opened in the suburbs of Kyiv.
The works were supported by the Ukrainian Red Cross, the Belgian Red Cross and the Luxembourg Red Cross for an amount of €500,000. During the 10 months of work, a large number of repairs and renovations were carried out, including repairs to the roof, walls, windows, swimming pool used for treatment, ventilation, kitchen and bomb shelter.
Ruslan Gritchenko, the centre’s director, is delighted with the resumption of activities: “The new life of our institution is now beginning. Thanks to the support of the Ukrainian Red Cross and the Luxembourg Red Cross, we have started to help disabled children and adults again.” The 136-person facility is already welcoming its first patients, who are receiving therapeutic care.
For Myriam Jacoby, Ukraine project manager for the Luxembourg Red Cross, these projects are the result of a joint effort: “The Ukrainian people have suffered and are still suffering from this conflict. The reconstruction and reopening of hospitals is a sign of hope in a dark and cold everyday life. In the work we do with our Ukrainian colleagues, our aim is to enable the sick and injured to receive treatment in the best possible conditions and to regain a better quality of life and dignity. Today, we are helping disabled people to recover. Tomorrow it will be other victims. Our work has only just begun.”
The official opening of the hospital was attended by Maksym Dotsenko (Secretary General of the Ukrainian Red Cross), Ruslan Gritchenko (Director of the Liutyzh Rehabilitation Centre), Myriam Jacoby (Ukraine Project Manager for the Luxembourg Red Cross) and Gulnamo Khudobakhshova (Ukraine Head of Mission for the Luxembourg Red Cross).