29.04.2016, Dnipropetrovsk
On April 27, in Dnipropetrovsk an opening ceremony of the Caritas Social Center took place. On the eve, His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), together with Donetsk Exarch of UGCC Bishop Stepan (Men’ko), consecrated buildings of the center and the cornerstone for the construction of the St. Nicholas Church.
Primarily, the Center will help IDPs, which are more than 86 thousand in Dnipropetrovsk. Although, any person in need can apply to the Centre, for example, people in difficult circumstances, people with disabilities, handicapped, seriously ill, HIV-positive, single elderly people and others.
Caritas Social Centre in Dnipropetrovsk is a united project of Caritas Donetsk and Caritas Ukraine charity foundations, implemented with the support of the German government and Caritas Germany.
In Ukraine, the center is unique by many characteristics, among the most important are the possibility to give help to many people, a wide range of social services provided (all social services provided by the state standard of Ukraine), as well as modern principles of service, quick and qualified help, respectful attitude to people.
The main types of assistance provided by the Center:
– Consulting (includes individual and group psychological counseling, legal advices, and counseling hotline)
– Care services at home
– Rental of medical equipment and supplies
– Service of social rehabilitation and adaptation
– Creative activities (Children’s space, Theater for Children and Youth, Seniors Club, workshops)
– Sports and recreational activities
– Social hairdresser
– Laundry
– Soup Kitchen
– Distribution of humanitarian food packages.
In the Center, people can ask for help even anonymously, and the procedure is very simple and non-bureaucratic. All services are provided in accordance with state standards of social assistance in Ukraine, while the best international practices and innovations are used in the Center. Partnership with the Government of Germany and Caritas Germany, who provided financial and expert support, allowed Dnipropetrovsk Social Center to be on the same level as such centers in Europe.
“One of the important tasks of the new center is not only to support people for the moment, but also to maximize their availability to return to normal life. Then, they gradually become independent of subsidies, – said the president of Caritas Ukraine Andriy Waskowycz. – For each time we are focused not on statistics but on quality results of solving every individual problem.”
Besides, the Center treats responsibly those who provide assistance. Most employees of the Center are IDPs themselves living in Dnipropetrovsk. They received specialized education and constantly improve their qualification by attending educational classes and trainings.
In addition to its primary function – providing social services, the Center is planning to develop local integration of IDP, their communication with local communities, and promote tolerance between those who visit the center.
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