As the war in Ukraine continues, we stand even more united in the common fight against the enemy. Thanks to the Saving Lives humanitarian project established by Metinvest Group, in cooperation with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, 392,234 people in different parts of the country have received assistance. 

Over 11 months of the full-scale war, the project team has established an effective system for supplying aid from humanitarian hubs in Poland to distribution centres in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske and Dnipro. From there, shipments are sent to communities where they are most needed: notably to the front line and liberated territories, as well as cities and towns where Metinvest operates and which have sheltered thousands of internally displaced people. 

Saving Lives focuses on providing Ukrainians with food, hygiene products and other essentials. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, 4,077 tonnes of essential supplies have been delivered to Ukraine. The most vulnerable categories of the population receive packages first. The next batch will go to almost 16,000 large families with three or more children. Packages containing non-perishable products will be delivered to communities in three regions – Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk – in particular, to settlements where the fiercest fighting is taking place and where such support with food supplies is vital. 

At various times, foodstuffs have also been delivered to families of mobilised Metinvest employees, residents in the Group’s shelters, Zaporizhzhia utility workers, and new mothers in Odesa and Donetsk regions, who received baby food packages.

The humanitarian project also provides Ukrainian hospitals with medicines, consumables and equipment. It supports social and cultural events, as well as participates in psychological rehabilitation and prosthetics programmes for Ukrainians. For example, Saving Lives is working with the Masha Foundation as part of the Unbreakable Mum psychological rehabilitation programme. In addition, together with Protez Hub, a project to support prosthetics in Ukraine, it helps military personnel and civilians affected by the war to return to living a full life. In total, assistance in these two areas has already reached 158 people.

Commenting, Vita Fedorenko, a participant of the Unbreakable Mum project, said:

“We spent an unforgettable three weeks in the Carpathians. Without air-raid sirens and warnings. The nature was breath-taking, and psychologists took care of our emotional state. I felt the strength to move on, work and get settled. And after the victory, I dream of returning to a liberated Ukrainian Mariupol. I am grateful to Metinvest for the opportunity to join this wonderful project. Kamet Steel is now my stronghold. I really feel that I have become an unbreakable mother.”

Commenting, Anatolii Uzlov, a participant of the prosthetics programme, said: 

“My prosthesis makes life a lot easier: I have learned how to hold things and cut bread, and am trying to use the bionic arm to operate a laptop. The prosthetics programme is a crucial initiative for all Ukrainian defenders who had to undergo amputation, as it provides an opportunity to live a full life without limitations.” 

Thanks to international partners and donations from benefactors, Saving Lives can gradually expand the scale of its assistance. Almost 200 businesses and organisations from Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, the US, the UK, Switzerland, Greece, the UAE and other countries have been supporting the project. Since the start of Saving Lives, donor partners have transferred EUR2,336,885 in aid and donations. 

One donor partner of Saving Lives, the Italian company RiDiamo Onlus, has funded a playroom for displaced children in a shelter near Kamianske. 

Saving Lives will continue to gain momentum so that as many Ukrainians as possible can feel support in these dire times for the country.

More details about the activities of Saving Lives can be found on the official website: https://bit.ly/SavingLivesProject.