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Care Zone in the Epicenter of Pain: How the Shelter “Without Borders” in Kharkiv restores faith in life

At our initiative, in early 2023, a shelter for people with limited mobility and disabilities was set up in a Kharkiv dormitory.

The project was to be implemented within the framework of the program “Warming centers and evacuation: providing assistance to the affected population of Ukraine” with the support of the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe. The work was carried out with the financial participation of the Vostok SOS Charitable Foundation. The partners allocated over UAH 1,000,000 to purchase the necessary materials and equipment.


Thus, the first transit shelter for vulnerable people with physical disabilities was to appear in Kharkiv.

And on July 26, 2023, the Bez Boundaries shelter was opened.


The shelter is designed to accommodate 34 people at a time. The rooms have all the necessary equipment and functional beds. Medical and psychological assistance will be provided around the clock. The premises are located on the ground floor and have a separate entrance with a ramp. There are no steps or thresholds - all accessibility requirements for people in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility have been taken into account.



Shelter will host evacuees from the dangerous areas of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts around the clock. It is expected that they will be able to stay here for up to a month while the shelter staff looks for a place for them to live permanently. During this time, lawyers will provide free legal aid to the victims, for example, if they have lost their documents as a result of the war or have problems with pension payments due to prolonged stay in the occupied territory.


Голова організації "Центр Надання гуманітарної допомоги "Волонтер - 68" Галина Харламова
Head of the Humanitarian Aid Center “Volunteer - 68” Galina Kharlamova

It's been almost a year and a half since the Bez Boundaries shelter opened its doors. “Some people stay here for two or three days, others for a month, depending on the situation. On average, it is about two weeks. We restore documents and conduct medical examinations. Afterwards, the evacuees are sent to their relatives or to safe places in Ukraine or Europe, where they can be well taken care of,” says the head of the Humanitarian Aid Center.


“Volunteer - 68” Halyna Kharlamova.


“We have twelve people working in three shifts, as well as drivers and administrators,” Halyna continues, ”There are caregivers on each shift who provide sanitary and hygienic services. There is a paramedic and a nurse who monitor people's condition. If necessary, a doctor comes to see them.”


Even in such bad times, a good initiative with the right approach overcomes hopelessness and despair, giving hope for the future.


As of today, the No Borders shelter has helped about three hundred people.

 

 


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