Supporting residents of the Donetsk region who have been forced to leave their homes due to the war remains one of the key areas of work for the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
During a working visit to Lviv, Oleksandr Shevchenko, Deputy Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, visited the ‘YaMariupol’ support centre for internally displaced persons.
The centre has been operating in Lviv since June 2022 and currently assists over 4,700 internally displaced persons. Here, residents of Mariupol can receive humanitarian aid, social, legal and psychological counselling, support with employment and administrative matters, as well as take part in educational, informational and cultural events.
The centre pays particular attention to people who are unable to travel to Lviv regularly. As part of the ‘Close to You’ project, mobile teams travel monthly to remote settlements in the Lviv region to ensure that essential services are accessible to a wider number of people.
Oleksandr Shevchenko familiarised himself with the centre’s work, spoke with its team and visitors, and discussed current needs and prospects for the centre’s future development.
Lviv is also coordinating the ‘YaMariupol. By Your Side’ (‘Unity’) project for Mariupol residents who are temporarily abroad. To date, 780 Mariupol residents from over 30 countries around the world have joined the project.
“It is extremely important that every resident of the Donetsk region has the opportunity to receive the necessary services in a timely manner, regardless of where they live,” said Oleksandr Shevchenko.
The Donetsk Regional State Administration will continue to work on developing a network of support centres for internally displaced persons, so that people have access to the necessary assistance, can stay in touch with their communities and maintain links with their native Donetsk region.