The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has launched the Week of Civilians in Ukraine. Its key objective is to draw the attention of the Ukrainian and world community to the fates of civilians from Donbass whose lives the armed conflict changed forever. As a symbol of Civilians scattered around the globe, the Foundation plants alleys with rose seedlings in cities where many IDPs live. Each rose is a symbol of one story filed in the unique project the Museum of Civilian Voices. Today another such Alley of seven hundred roses appeared in Vinnytsia.
‘Vinnytsia is one of the cities where a significant number of IDPs from the east of the country now live. Since the beginning of the armed conflict in Donbass, Rinat Akhmetov has saved the lives of three and a half million people on both sides of the demarcation line. That is millions of people’s fates! The story of each of them is worth telling separately. Every civilian in Donbass has his or her own story of struggle and overcoming. Each of them should be heard and documented. To collect the stories of civilians from Donbass and tell them to the whole world – this is the goal the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation sets. To preserve these testimonies, the Foundation established the Museum of Civilian Voices. In order for the tragedy of Donbass Civilians not to be ever repeated anywhere,’ said Iryna Blazhan, Director of Projects and Programs at the Foundation.
Mykola Formanyuk, deputy mayor of Vinnytsia, stressed the important role of such events in the life of the country and people.
‘It is very good to take part in such a campaign. And I am very grateful to the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for it taking place in our city. The tragedy is not over, but life goes on. We must remember those who could not return home. And today, thanks to this campaign, we are making one of the most beautiful squares in the city even better. Thanks for that!’ Mykola Formanyuk noted.
IDPs from Donbass also took part in laying the Roses Alley. According to them, the pain of the tragedy still lingers in their hearts.
‘I want to thank the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for giving attention to IDPs and helping them. Thanks to this campaign, every resident of Vinnytsia will be able to pay attention to those people who had to connect their lives with this city,’ said Eleonora Rudenko, a representative of the civil society organization Association of Displaced Persons "Common Cause".
It is a reminder that today the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, part of which are Civilian Voices. Civilian Roses Alleys, is the largest collection of stories of Donbass civilians in Ukraine. The Museum has more than 2,000 testimonies told from the first person. The Foundation’s objective and the Museum's ambition is to create the world’s largest archive of Civilian Stories and collect 100,000 stories over the next five years.
If you are a resident of Donbass, tell your story to the world! To do this, please follow the link https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/my-story and fill out a small questionnaire. You can also call the hotline 0800509001 and ask for psychological assistance. It is provided by specialists who have been trained in the war trauma course.
