Despite constant alerts and shelling, many people, including those in rural areas, remain in the region. Specifically, the Blyznyuky community includes 96 villages and settlements with a population of 14.5 thousand people. Most residents are over 60 years old, the number of people with disabilities has increased, and there are young families with children.
Visiting a doctor, getting tests done, buying medicines, and obtaining auxiliary rehabilitation aids — all these services are available at rural clinics located in the villages of Samiylivka, Uplatne, and Verkhnyaya Samara.
However, not everyone could access these services because the old clinic buildings were not adapted for people with mobility difficulties. Stairs, high curbs, thresholds at the entrances to offices, and narrow doors posed significant barriers. These obstacles are challenging for wheelchair users, people with prosthetics, parents with strollers, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Thanks to the support of the Helvetas Schweiz, we have made the clinics more accessible:
🔖 Installed ramps and handrails at the entrances of two clinics,
🔖 Widened doorways and removed thresholds in offices,
🔖 Equipped inclusive restrooms to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
The project ‘Accessibility of Medical Services for Residents of Remote Villages in the Blyznyuky Community of the Kharkiv Region’ is implemented by the Krona Foundation with the support of Helvetas Schweiz as part of the project ‘Supporting Community Recovery in Eastern Ukraine’ funded by Swiss Solidarity