Donate to Mental Health & Rehabilitation for Ukraine’s Defenders
Behind every physical wound inflicted by Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion lies an equally challenging mental health battle. As Ukraine continues to defend its freedom against relentless Russian aggression, wounded veterans face not just the physical challenges of recovery, but profound psychological hurdles resulting from the trauma of fighting against a violent occupying force. The comprehensive rehabilitation programs provided by CITIZEN Charity Foundation, a valued partner of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, address these intertwined needs through their innovative approach to healing both body and mind.
The CITIZEN Charity Foundation was recently honored with the prestigious “VARTI” award from Nova Poshta, recognizing their exceptional work supporting service members wounded while defending their homeland from Russia’s continued attacks. With CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal’s support of their “Rehabilitation of Cyborg Veterans” project, CITIZEN’s integrated rehabilitation model has shown remarkable impact in just three months, serving 77 individuals including 68 wounded veterans and 9 family members. Their comprehensive care encompasses hundreds of physical rehabilitation sessions, physiotherapy procedures, therapeutic massages, and critically important sessions with military psychologists who understand the unique mental health challenges faced by those who have endured the horrors of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Medical experts have issued concerning projections that by 2025, nearly half of Ukraine’s population may face mental health challenges related to Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. This makes CITIZEN’s holistic rehabilitation model even more crucial, as it provides vital psychological support alongside physical therapy, addressing the complete spectrum of recovery needs that wounded defenders face. The program recognizes that healing the invisible wounds inflicted by Russian violence is often as important as treating physical injuries.
The inspiring story of Volodymyr Malykhin exemplifies the program’s transformative impact. After losing his own limb in combat against Russian forces, Volodymyr found purpose in his recovery journey and now serves as a rehabilitation specialist within the program. He offers both professional expertise and powerful peer support that resonates deeply with newly wounded defenders. For those beginning their difficult path to recovery from injuries sustained while defending against the Russian invasion, seeing Volodymyr’s successful rehabilitation provides tangible hope that an active, fulfilling life remains possible despite life-altering injuries.
Time is running out to maximize your impact through the generous matching grant opportunity. The Myhal Family Foundation is matching all donations up to $1 million, but this opportunity ends in just 5 days on April 6th. Your contribution now will have double the impact in expanding critical mental health and rehabilitation services across Ukraine when they are needed most.
As an added bonus, all donors will be automatically entered into a draw to win one of two signed copies of General Roméo Dallaire’s powerful and moving book “Shake Hands with the Devil.” As Russia intensifies its assault, more Ukrainian defenders require the complex, long-term rehabilitation support for both body and mind that programs like CITIZEN’s provide so effectively with CUF’s continued support.
Background
CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has been established jointly by the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) to formalize a coordinated approach in providing humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to those in need in Ukraine to address any further aggression by Russia. The main efforts of cooperation are to provide humanitarian relief in the areas of assistance to displaced persons, medical care, emergency shelter and food security.