In 2014, over 700,000 people received humanitarian aid from the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre
In 2014, over 700,000 people received humanitarian aid from the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre. The statement was made by the Coordinator of the Centre Rimma Fil at the event Rinat Akhmetov’s Charity: Challenges and Solutions 2014-2015 held in Kiev on 16 February.
“In 2014, 712,000 residents of Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts received humanitarian aid from the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre. The aid was provided as targeted assistance on the basis of calls to the Centre’s hotline and within the main areas of the Centre’s activity which are evacuation, temporary accommodation, targeted assistance, helping with groceries and medicines and helping children. The most vulnerable civilians and those who urgently needed help received food sets, baby and hygienic sets and first aid kits. The Centre helped insulin-dependent people, the elderly and children with medication, paid for treatment of injured civilians and provided psychological support. We evacuated and provided temporary accommodation for people fleeing from the war. Rinat Akhmetov has established the Centre which is daily saving tens of thousands of our countrymen,” stated Rimma Fil.
The Humanitarian Centre “Aid +Help” of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation was founded on 6 August 2014 to help the civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts. It consolidates the resources and capacities of the Foundation, the SCM Group and FC Shakhtar.
Anatoliy Zabolotny, Director of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for Development of Ukraine: “The programmes and projects of the Foundation we were implementing at peace time have been refocused to help the civilians in Donbass. In May, we evacuated people from Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. These were the people under care of the Foundation within No to Orphancy programme, in particular, from children care facilities, nursing homes, special orphanages in Donetsk Oblast. We took care of their accommodation and provided targeted assistance. The team of the Foundation, their experience and knowledge of the social area provided the foundations for the Centre’s work.”
According to the General Director of FC Shakhtar Sergey Palkin, the largest logistics humanitarian aid distribution base was located at Donbass Arena stadium, Donetsk-based favourite football club. Every month up to 8,000 tonnes of groceries and goods for children are delivered, labelled with Charitable Help. Not for Sale. stickers, packed and delivered to the humanitarian aid distribution points directly from the stadium. Baby sets and special sets for pregnant women are also distributed at Donbass arena. “About 1,100 people including 430 club’s employees and their relatives work as volunteers of the Humanitarian Centre in Donetsk and regional distribution points,” stated Sergey Palkin.
The practical results delivered by the Humanitarian Centre in 2014 include evacuation of 40,000 people from the war zone and establishment of 257 humanitarian aid distribution points in 57 districts and settlements of Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts which provided 1.35 million of food sets to those most in need.
The Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre operates on Ukraine-controlled territories helping the most vulnerable IDPs until the government resumes social payments and pensions. The help is also provided in the towns and cities located on the firing line and on the rebel-controlled territories.
In 2015, the Humanitarian Centre has focused its activity on the following:
delivery of groceries to civilians deprived of access to food (due to a lack of groceries or money) – on both sides of the contact line
delivery of baby food to families with infants – on both sides of the contact line
targeted assistance with medicine to the residents in the ATO area – on both sides of the contact line
targeted assistance to civilians who have been severely injured as a result of hostilities
psychological assistance to civilians (working with traumas of war).
SCM’s Director of Public Relations and Communications Natalia Yemchenko: “Rinat Akhmetov has set a goal to the Humanitarian Centre to help at least 400,000 civilians in the first three months of 2015 by delivering at least 1.2 million food sets and 90,000 baby sets as well as to help the elderly and injured civilians with medicines. Our commitment to help people will continue as long as it is required and will be based exclusively on the Centre’s key principles: efficiency, transparency, neutrality and balance.”
According to the UNO data, during the hostilities 10,000 people have been injured, 1 million people have left their homes and 5.2 million remain in the conflict zone with 1.4 million “being in a very vulnerable position and needing humanitarian aid”.
Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre’s report 2014 is available at: https://akhmetovfoundation.org/ru/report
