The program participants include children of Metinvest employees and displaced employees from other Ukrainian entities of the company, together with the children who lost their family members in war or got injured in shelling.
During the two weeks spent at the recreation centre in the Carpathian mountains, the children attended psychological one-on-one and group sessions, art therapy and master classes, and had tours to the lakes, mountains and waterfalls.
Nataliya Domasheva, wife of a Ukraine's defender and mother of the nine-year old Pavlo and 11-year old Karina:
— Before the war, my husband worked at the railway department of Northern GOK, and now he is defending Ukraine on the eastern front. Since the father is away from home, the kids always wait for a message from him. He is rarely online. It can be just a dot or a plus, as long as we know he is alive and ok. The children were, of course, sad and worried about him. They got introverted and would speak only to each other if they had to. After the trip, they've become more sociable and confident; they began smiling and feel greater freedom of action. My daughter gets involved in live conversations rather than speaking on the phone, and goes out more. She now speaks to me and shows interest in the things she wasn't interested before. I understand why this is happening: the children had specialists in the camp who counselled them on how to avoid locking up but rather speak about the problems with those who can help. For my children, the program was successful, helpful and enjoyable. The kids are grateful.
Another 155 children will participate in the program in early August; so the program will cover a total of 400 children of Metinvest employees.
Tetiana Petruk, Director of Sustainable Development and People Management of Metinvest Group:
— Metinvest is, first of all, about people. The war has become an ordeal for everyone. Over 8,000 company employees have been conscripted to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and thousands of our employees have lost their homes. We all live in a constant state of stress; however, nobody should deal with the war traumas on their own. We have been helping the families of our employees, and especially children, to take care of their mental health. This is important not only for the children and their future but for the cities, the regions, and Ukraine as a country.
It's worth reminding that with the help of the donors Saving Lives will allocate about UAH 9,000,000 for the psychological rehabilitation program Strong Generation Camp – Future.
The Saving Lives humanitarian initiative was created by Metinvest Group in coordination with the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation at the beginning of the russian invasion of Ukraine. For more than 15 months of the full-scale war, the project has helped almost 500,000 people in 70 territorial communities. Ukrainians have received more than 4,200 tons of food items and hygiene products, and hospitals have received medicines, consumables, and equipment worth €250,000.
Nearly 200 companies from around the world, 400 volunteers and 10 foundations and public organisations have joined the project. For more than a year of its activities, the amount of assistance from donors has exceeded €2.7 million.
The Saving Lives' main areas of activity include prosthetics and rehabilitation for the military and civilians, as well as psychological recovery of women and children.