The United Nations calls the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s efforts in the Donbas “huge”

The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and its largest program, the Humanitarian Center take huge efforts to provide help to civilians in the Donbas, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative in Ukraine Pablo Mateu said at a press conference in Kyiv.

“I have just received the appointment to Ukraine and went to the Donbas, and in every town and village we visited we saw huge crowds. When I stopped and asked them what they are waiting for, all of them said that they are waiting in line for the help brought by Rinat Akhmetov,” Pablo Mateu said.

He also stressed that Rinat Akhmetov’s help, including psychological assistance, remains extremely important.

“The conflict does not cease, which means that psychological help is extremely important for people living in the east of Ukraine. Therefore, the work with adults and children which the Foundation does in this respect is hugely significant,” Pablo Mateu said.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative in Ukraine, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation works very hard to make sure that people of the Donbas could continue to live. With the Foundation’s help, they overcome substantial difficulties. However, that’s not the case in the government-uncontrolled territory where the Foundation’s operations have been blocked in 2017.

“I am extremely concerned about the situation on the other side of the confrontation line, where food again becomes sparse. People are asking for food! In my opinion, this situation was caused by the fact that since 2017 the Humanitarian Center has been unable to deliver help on the other side of the confrontation line,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Representative in Ukraine concluded.

Since the outbreak of the armed conflict in the Donbas, the Foundation focused all its efforts on helping civilians. The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation’s largest program, the Humanitarian Center is aimed at providing support to the most destitute civilians of the Donbas victimized by the armed conflict:

– Help to the Population: over 12.3 million food parcels delivered;

– Targeted Help: individual help provided to over 50,000 persons;

– Peaceful Summer for Children of the Donbas: almost 4500 children received summer recreation and psychological assistance;

– Rehabilitation of Wounded Children: over 100 rehabilitation courses held;

– Evacuation and Accommodation: almost 50 thousand civilians evacuated, including 15 thousand children.