Auxiliary programs in Ukraine: USAIS suspension endangers health and education
Auxiliary programs in Ukraine: USAIS suspension endangers health and education
Last month, the help telephone number of the veteran hub in Ukraine remained silent for a week after decisive funds from the United States were abruptly shortened. A total of around 400 calls for help remained unanswered, which has serious consequences for the people concerned and their families.
various calls for help and life -saving support
The Ukrainian NGO receives a wide variety of inquiries. Many come from military families who have just learned that their relatives have fallen on the front. Others come from injured veterans who have difficulty finding their way around civil life or need help with bureaucracy. Some calls can even be life -saving. Ivona Kostyna, co-founder of the Veteran Hub, reports: "Just a few days before freezing, we received a call for help from a person who had announced a suicide attempt and was looking for support, and we were able to offer this support."
The effects of middle reduction
kostyna and her team were forced to close the hotline after they have a Ukraine has been the largest recipient of USAI funds in the past three years, especially since Russia started its extensive attack in February 2022. According to the Ukraine website, which has now been seted by USA, has provided a total of $ 37.6 billion in humanitarian aid, development support and direct household support since the beginning of the war. Despite these large sums emphasize opposition legislators and Support is important and must be protected. President Wolodymyr Selenskyj said his government attempts to find alternative sources of financing inside and outside Ukraine. "These are areas that the government cannot provide because it does not have enough funds," says Kostyna. The stop of the funds has far -reaching consequences. Many employees of the hub are the main or solo earners of their families and cannot afford unpaid vacation. "If we lose these people, even if the financing comes back, we have to train the next person, which can take six months. So continuity is extremely important," said Kostyna. A similar situation is in the charity organization Vykhid, which deals with the prevention of HIV and tuberculosis. Director Olena Goriageva reports that she had to dismiss very experienced employees on the basis of the stop command. "We diversified our financing, but the situation is very tense." in rural Shevchenkove, which was severely affected during the war, the municipality has to deal with serious health problems. The majority of health services that rely on USAIS financing had to be hired. "I think the situation is facing a disaster," said the local administrative manager Oleh Pylypeko. However, the Veteran Hub employees did not give up. They remained active during the week of the stop command command even though they received no salary. Through intensive fundraising measures, the hub managed to secure enough means to maintain the hotline for three months and reinstate several employees. "We had a lot of people who simply came over and needed help," said Kostyna. The closure of the hub would have had catastrophic consequences for many people in need. Kostyna and her team hope that the situation will soon improve and that alternative financing can be found in order to maintain the important services that are crucial for so many people. financial support and their challenges
search for alternative sources of financing
loss of qualified employees
The losses of the Vykhid Foundation
The foundation had to close an important project for the early detection of new HIV cases, which is particularly problematic in a country with the highest HIV prevalence in Europe. difficulties for the community
a ray of hope for the veteran hub
The uncertain view of the future
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