Astarta has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy and the charitable foundation Believe in Yourself.
The cooperation will improve social services for vulnerable groups, support mental health, and increase local communities’ cohesion and social capacity to overcome war challenges. The partnership focuses on internally displaced persons (IDPs), veterans and military families, people with disabilities, and low-income and older people.
Important goals will be achieved, mainly through the Resilience Centres project, part of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Programme initiated by the First Lady Olena Zelenska. Astarta and the charitable foundation Believe in Yourself will contribute to developing the Resilience Centres model and its implementation in the communities where the business operates.
The memorandum was signed by Oksana Zholnovych, the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Viktor Ivanchyk, the CEO of Astarta, and Svitlana Mozhova, the Head of the charitable Foundation Believe in Yourself.
According to the head of the Ministry, Oksana Zholnovych, it is essential for both the state and business to strengthen community resilience and build communities at the local level that will help diversify life and give people an incentive to develop. “One of these solutions is to create Resilience Centres, which are platforms that will provide various social services and facilities. Our cooperation will be aimed, particularly at rural residents, who, unfortunately, have fewer services and supports than urban residents,” the Minister said.
For Astarta, this cooperation will be an opportunity to make the most of its potential and experience to help communities overcome the consequences of the war and lay the foundation for social well-being and stability. “The development of a new system of social services, mental health support and protection of vulnerable groups will help to increase the resilience and capacity of local communities. We are convinced that the state and business can only solve such complex problems in partnership. We are well aware of the challenges and needs of residents, as we have been working in communities for more than thirty years and have implemented dozens of social initiatives. As part of the project, we will also help to establish Resilience Centres in the communities where our company operates,” said Viktor Ivanchyk, Astarta CEO.
Believe in Yourself will contribute to developing the model of the Centres, conducting a nationwide survey of the needs of community residents, and proposing a model for assessing the project’s social impact.
“We will apply the best international practices in researching the needs and assessing the social impact of the Resilience Centres on the well-being of vulnerable categories of citizens. In my opinion, the project has great potential and will help to increase the resilience of communities in times of war and their ability to recover quickly,” added Svitlana Mozhova, head of the charitable foundation Believe in Yourself.