In times of crisis, cooperation and solidarity are greatly needed. Since Ukraine was invaded by Russia two years ago, Ukrainian citizens’, including those with visual impairments, day-by-day have been plagued with hardships and obstacles. During this period, EBU has been closely monitoring the situation of blind and partially sighted Ukrainians through contact with our friends from the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities (NAPD) of Ukraine.
Our organisation has committed itself to provide financial support to NAPD, while also getting them in touch with qualified professionals through networking with our National Members. According to their latest report, our funds were provided to 150 people with visual impairments from cities such as Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kyiv, Poltava or Kharkiv
In the latter, assistance has become of utmost importance due to its region’ geographical border with the Russian Federation and the occupied regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. NAPD’s Program Director, Larisa Baida, states that “we’re coordinating with local organisations to help blind and partially sighted persons whose homes have been destroyed.
She also pinpoints that our funds have been used to support a shelter in Dnipro, as well as to fix its water supply. Other examples of how EBU’s support has been employed include the buying of 56 tonometers or the purchase of medical equipment for the Okhmatdyt Hospital in Kyiv, with which NAPD cooperates to train doctors and medical staff in the rehabilitation of children who lost their eyesight during the war. This hospital’s doctors currently examine 60 patients per day, while also travelling to other parts of the country to carry out detection of hidden pathologies.
The need for an extensive rehabilitation policy
During our 12th General Assembly in Lisbon, Larisa, alongside Lesia Perepechenko (from the organisation “All- Ukrainian League of Organizations of Persons with Visual Disabilities”) and a Ukrainian veteran named Oleksandr participated in one of the keynote sessions of the event to give us an update on the current situation in Ukraine.
Apart from underlining visually impaired Ukrainians’ main daily hardships and thanking EBU for its support during this period, they stressed how they’re currently trying to deal with the lack of rehabilitation professionals in a context where the number of people with visual impairment has increased due to the war.
In this sense, they highlighted that Ukrainian NGO’s are the ones trying to carry out this task as there’s a lack of rehabilitation policies in the country. Moreover, they also pinpointed the need to adopt a personally-oriented approach while implementing them in order to help visually impaired people lead independent and fulfilling lives.
The European Blind Union will remain committed to helping our blind and partially sighted friends from Ukraine, providing all the assistance needed to help them face their daily challenges.