“Healing Communities”: a meeting with future participants of the training took place in Kryvyi Rih

The aim of the Healing Communities project is to rebuild socio-economic life in the regions of Ukraine directly affected by the war. It is being implemented thanks to the Patriarchal Foundation Mudra Sprava and with the financial support of the Renovabis International Charitable Foundation.

The project programme includes three stages:

1. Introduction to the participants.
2. Training programme “Healing Communities” for 30 participants in Lviv.
3. Strategic session on regional development for 50 participants.

The first stage of the programme took place at the parish of St Nicholas the Wonderworker of the UGCC.

For three hours, more than 60 members of the Kryvyi Rih community, representing various public and business sectors, had the opportunity to get to know each other and the teachers of the training programme. Each participant presented their case, their project. Thirty participants were selected to take part in the next stage of the programme.

“Among the participants of the meeting were representatives of business, entrepreneurship, local governments, educators, public activists and opinion leaders. Everyone was united by the desire for the soonest possible victory of our country, as well as the further restoration of Ukrainian society,” said one of the members of the Mudra Sprava team, Fr Yaroslav Valyukh.

Orysia Klymchuk, psychologist at Caritas Kryvyi Rih: “About three years ago, we launched a project for wives and mothers who lost their sons and husbands in the war. Now we are working with families who have someone serving. And there is also a request from the military themselves for both psychological help and spiritual support. So, we see prospects in developing our further ministry to the military.”

Valentyna Tiutiunnyk, deputy head of the Kryvyi Rih Association of Combatants and ATO Participants, said that their team had united to help the Armed Forces and internally displaced people: “These are people who were forced to leave their homes, who had their favourite sofas, chairs, spoons and cups. But now they are left without anything. That’s why our team is helping them. I really liked the name of this course, ‘Healing Communities’. I think it’s a pretty interesting topic that we all need to unite around. We are strong. But we need to unite and build our community, come up with new projects and grow.”

Each of the participants of the meeting was listened to and positively received by both the representatives of the training course and their fellow community members.

During the meeting, 168 food packages were distributed to those most in need and affected by the Russian war against Ukraine.