“Support That Gives Hope”: Frontline Kramatorsk Residents Receive Aid from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation

The Kramatorsk area has long appeared in the daily frontline reports. Due to constant shelling, many enterprises and organisations in the city have suspended their activities. For people who lost their jobs because of the war, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation provided assistance. The aid has now been fully delivered.

Olha says, “Factories are idle, workers cannot provide for themselves. The chances of finding even some kind of job exist only for the young.” She previously worked at one of the local factories.

“When there are three unemployed people left in the family, it is difficult. That is why humanitarian aid is a huge support for us,” says local resident Iryna.

“I was not hired even as a cleaner at a pizzeria. The main reason is my age,” shares Viktoriia from Kramatorsk. She previously worked as a kindergarten teacher.

Despite all the challenges, people stay strong. According to Mykola Osychenko, head of Mariupol Television and ambassador of the Foundation: “People have lost their jobs, but they have not lost their optimism. And this brings hope.”

In total, the Foundation has provided nearly 13.5 million food packages to residents of Ukraine. The assistance is provided through the “Rinat Akhmetov – Saving Lives” program.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, SCM businesses, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, and FC Shakhtar have allocated UAH 11.3 billion (USD 315 million) to assist the country, military, and civilians.