CaritasUkraine

24.10.2013, Ukraine
Letter from Iryna Hnativ, employee in Caritas of Sambir-Drohobych Diocese of the UGCC

“Dear reader, I want to put you a simple question: how often do you buy new socks? Every week? Great! Every month? Good. Every year? I understand, you face bad time in your life. Every three years? I know, you are a child who has nobody to care of him/her and who appeared in the place of detention. Let me tell all concerned people about your life in this article.

You rest in the place of detention. It doesn’t matter, whether it’s an orphanage, or penal colony, or children’s house. People almost don’t see you. Your place of dwelling is far from our sight. It makes people forget that you exist. It’s easier to think that there is no such person alive or that’s everything fine with you. But what’s really happen to you? Is it true that you, a child, don’t have your favorite photo, toy or other personal belongings? What is the size of your clothes, and how is it bigger than your own? Who takes care of you when you are ill? How often are you get punished and for what reasons? Dear Oksanka, Vitalik, Natalochko, Pavlo, though I ask you these questions, however, I clearly understand that I won’t receive your answer. That’s why, your contact with the world outside is fully controlled, and I won’t get any bad word about your life.

21.10.2013, Ivano-Frankivsk
Caritas Ivano-Frankivsk has recently launched “The future of good work is in your hands!” charitable program. It is aimed at collecting money for work with disabled youth. Last year the similar fundraising campaign united local community and private philanthropists; 107 thousand UAH were involved in social adaptation of children and youth with mental development problems. The year of active work passed, money was effectively used; new plans, achievements and scope of required tasks in service to the disabled needful individuals are expected ahead, - it is said in local Caritas.

For some years over 60 young people with special needs have been under care of Caritas in Ivano-Frankivsk, one third of them are clients of Ivano-Frankivsk Geriatric Home.

17.10.2013, Ternopil
Caritas Ternopil has recently joined “Run for life” charity project. Participants passed 3 kilometers to save lives of newborn kids in Ternopil. Coordinators of the event invited everyone to participate in the run, regardless their age or level of physical training. That’s why Caritas clients and employees joined the initiative.

Olia Hilko, social worker of local Caritas, retells: “Project ‘Healthy children – healthy Ukraine’ operates in our city. It is a self-motivated group of 50 individuals who put a target to improve medical service of newborn kids in Ternopil Oblast Clinical Hospital for Children. Activists work in subgroups and each team independently does its best to buy some medical equipment: infusion pump, or oxygen apparatus etc. Sometimes, they hold charity concerts or sport contests. Information on initiatives is placed in social networks, each willing person can join.

14.10.2013, Lviv
Day of palliative Care is celebrated on October 12 all over the world. Annually, nearly 500 thousand Ukrainians are in need of palliative assistance, in particular adults and children at terminal stages of oncologic and cardio-vascular diseases, AIDS and tuberculosis, patients with complicated traumatic and degenerative damages of central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, musculo-skeletal system, handicapped and seniors. However, only 5% of patients in the country die in medical establishments where they receive relevant specialized medical assistance, adequate anaesthesia and qualified care.

At the moment national healthcare system in Ukraine can’t secure accessibility of palliative assistance for the majority of patients that demand it. There are many reasons for this situation, but one of the most outstanding is absence of qualified medical personnel that have suitable education. There are almost 10 hospices in Ukraine; the biggest ones are located in Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv and Lviv. Departments of palliative assistance are opened in some regions on basis of oncologic dispensaries - there are beds for palliative patients.

11.10.2013,  Ternopil
The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated annually all over the world at the beginning of October. The holiday was originated from the General Assembly of the UNO initiative on December 14, 1990. One of the boosting points to the official establishment of this holiday was a quick ageing of population. In accordance with the international classification person that attains 65 years old is considered an elderly one. There are 269 millions of such people in the world, almost each tenth individual on earth. In Ukraine it is every fifth citizen, 1/6 of them are lonely people.

“In Caritas we have been taking care of seniors for 14 years and don’t want to link respect and mercy to a certain group of needful individuals with a red date on the calendar. The International Day of Older Persons is not only a possibility to remind everyone of human responsibility to be considerate to the most respectful part of the society; it is a call, by the way. It is a reason for reflections on further destiny of human beings, their culture and interconnection between generations,” thinks Fr. Andriy Marchuk, Director of Caritas in Ternopil.