Oleksandr Vishnyakov, the Head of the Saving Lives Humanitarian Centre, talked about the primary areas of his work, logistics and international support in an interview with journalists from the Ukraine 24 TV channel.
Since 24 February, every Ukrainian has encountered their own “front” – military, economic, medical and civilian. To support the country under difficult conditions, Metinvest and DTEK's businesses, with the support of the Office of the President and in coordination with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, have created the powerful Saving Lives Humanitarian Centre. At the moment, this organisation is on the “front line” of supporting the lives of people affected by the war.
- What is the main area of the Humanitarian Centre's activity now?
- From the first days of the war, Metinvest and DTEK's businesses, with the support of the President's Office and in coordination with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, have created Saving Lives Humanitarian Centre. The purpose of this Humanitarian Centre is to purchase and provide assistance in the form of food, medicines and essential items to those in need. And this is a category of the population that had received assistance from the state even before the war, and now this assistance is crucial for them in order to survive.
Using Metinvest Poland as a base, a humanitarian hub and a logistics centre have been set up to aggregate humanitarian aid from all over the world, from everyone who wants to help Ukraine. And, today, we have already launched the second hub, its goal is to ensure a continuous supply of food to our distribution centres located in four Ukrainian cities, so that aid can be received in Avdiivka, Pokrovske, Zaporizhia, Kryvyi Rih, and Kamianske. And we are very much looking forward to and hoping that the humanitarian corridor will work in order to deliver this aid to Mariupol, where it is so badly needed.
- How do you solve the logistical issues in the absence of safe “humanitarian corridors” for the delivery of humanitarian goods?
- We understand that we need a completely safe corridor so as not to endanger people's lives. Therefore, we are waiting for the opening of a corridor that will allow us to deliver aid.
- Does the Humanitarian Centre provide psychological assistance to residents rescued from Mariupol?
- Using Metinvest's social facilities as a base, humanitarian hubs have been created, where internally displaced persons and evacuated people are received. Three meals a day are organised for them, and they are provided with psychological assistance and medical help, if necessary. Since 2014, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has been helping amid the war in eastern Ukraine, and now this expertise is the basis for the creation of the Humanitarian Centre. Then more than five million people received aid. Today, this is also a feasible mission for us.
- Tell us about international support - how is this process organized
- First, we opened our first international hub using Metinvest Poland as a base, in the city of Sławków. Then we opened a second facility because of the quantity of food. Our task is to deliver it on time and in the needed quantity. Two types of aid are arriving at this hub: from donors (our customers, partners, concerned people and organisations), who today want to and can help Ukraine. Our aim is to accumulate this aid, pack it and send it on to distribution centres as quickly as possible.
The second channel is the purchase of aid from the Group's funds: we buy a portion of the food in Europe, and promptly deliver it to the distribution centres in Zaporizhia, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro and Kamianske. They assemble kits for people in need. The countries that have already provided assistance to Ukraine are Romania, the Baltic countries, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland.
We have established comprehensive communications channels: we have a website that has all the information for those who want to receive assistance , there is a charitable foundation called Do It Together. An audit of this fund will be carried out in accordance with all international standards. We are ready to do everything to make the work of the Foundation as transparent as possible, and to ensure aid reaches people quickly.
- Do Western partners have an understanding of why we are asking for specific aid?
- The countries that are helping us have asked clear questions: tell us what you need and we will help. The range of this assistance is quite broad and there is a variety of household things. We work more systematically with foodstuffs, we showed them the basic food package developed by the WHO, it is familiar to people across Europe and the whole world, because it is balanced. It includes oil, sugar, cereals, and pasta. Countries also transfer cash. Today we are seen as systematic and transparent partners.
- How much does the experience you gained in 2014 and the reputation of being a reliable company help in this matter?
- This is the basis that allows us to plan the volume and timing of the delivery of the aid. In our work, we are greatly helped by the reputation that we have earned since 2014, plus the willingness to work effectively 24/7.
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