Kaniv Oblast Hosts Adaptive Sports Training for Veterans and People with Disabilities in Rehabilitation Efforts
30 veterans who were wounded in action got together to play adaptive sports in Kaniv. They practiced archery, played basketball in wheelchairs, rode a handcycle, and put the shot.
“Adaptive sports give people with disabilities an opportunity to socialize and bolster their self-esteem. This is an important component of the rehabilitation programs focused on the wounded military across the world,” says Andrii Kuchera, chairman of the Strong 300 Union of the Wounded Military of Ukraine NGO.
The initiative is implemented within the framework of the MHP Poruch program launched to support military personnel, veterans, and their families, with the assistance of the Strong 300 Union of the Wounded Military of Ukraine NGO.
“As part of our MHP Poruch comprehensive support program, we create opportunities for medical, physical, psychological, and social recovery of our defenders. Adaptive sports seem to be the most effective in this regard. It is important to us that every veteran gets a chance to realize their potential, including in sports,” says Dina Lysakova, director of the Centre for Interaction with Military Personnel and Veterans.
Once the treatment and the first stage of recovery are completed, recreational and physical activity becomes particularly relevant. This period plays a crucial role in the socialization of veterans and their community reintegration.
“We strive to ensure that each veteran who returns to their family, place of work, and community can reintegrate into civilian life and find support. These training sessions make a crucial element of the efforts that help build a veteran community and create opportunities for interaction, cooperation, and mutual support between veterans and other community members,” says Tetiana Volochai, Director of the MHP-Gromadi Charitable Foundation.
In the future, adaptive sports training sessions will be organized in other towns and villages across Ukraine.
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MHP Poruch means individual assistance and comprehensive support of military personnel, veterans, members of their families, and all those who wait for their loved ones to come home from war. The program focuses on MHP employees and residents of the communities where the company operates.
Since February 24, 2022, over 2,900 MHP employees have left their offices, workshops, and farms to defend us on the battlefield. They account for more than 10% of the employees who received military training. This is why the company was among the first to provide comprehensive and systematic support to defenders and their families, encompassing legal counsel, psychological assistance, medical treatment and rehabilitation, professional retraining, and social reintegration.
