The first Resilience Centre in the Poltava Oblast, which has been operating since March 2024, is located in the Hlobynska territorial community and is equipped according to the principles of barrier-free accessibility. Anyone can come here and receive free psychosocial support and referrals to the necessary services in the community.
In less than a month of operation, its specialists have already carried out more than 1,000 activities to support community residents’ mental health.
The Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Oksana Zholnovych, who recently visited the Centre, assures that the uniqueness of such spaces is that four generations gather here under one roof and everyone – regardless of status – can get help at the Resilience Centre.
“Most people perceive social assistance as a payment. Through the resilience service, we want to change this stereotype. After all, social assistance is also about teaching people to recover from stress, get involved in life, and be productive and self-sufficient. Our desire as a Ministry is that every community resident has a place of strength and recovery – where they will find support and be useful through involvement in volunteer activities,” – the Minister shared her vision.
Currently, the local Resilience Centre is most often visited by TDPs, people who lost their relatives during the war, and families with children. Everything is organized so that a person first attends an individual consultation with a specialist and then joins group classes. The Centre’s specialists believe this format is the most effective for psychological recovery after a crisis.
“Since the beginning of the war, the Poltava region has become a full-fledged social hub of the country. And we are doing our best to ensure people receive the necessary support. Opening the first Resilience Centre in the region is another step made possible by consolidating the efforts of the Ministry, regional authorities, community and business. The resilience programme is in great demand among residents of the entire region. That is why we plan to open seven more such centres in the region shortly,” – explains Philip Pronin, Head of the Poltava Regional Civil Protection Agency.
This Resilience Centre exemplifies high-quality cooperation between the state, local government and business. Astarta is a strategic partner of the project and helped equip the first 5 Resilience Centres, launched in January 2024 for residents of Volochysk, Liubar, Globyne, Kobelyatske and Shyshaky communities. The agroholding and the charitable foundation Believe in Yourself provide methodological, expert and financial support to the Resilience Programme.
“Resilience for every Ukrainian is what we want. A person needs to feel safe, be heard, ask for help, and help those who need it. Support here and now in a friendly, barrier-free space where every community resident can turn to is the basis of the Resilience Centres, which have been operating since the beginning of the year and are already helping to build the resilience of Ukrainians,” – said Svitlana Mozhova, Director of HR, Corporate Partnerships and Communications at Astarta.
The project is currently a pilot and is being implemented as part of First Lady Olena Zelenska’s All-Ukrainian Mental Health Programme. One hundred forty-three territorial communities from all over Ukraine have already joined the project, and the Ministry of Social Policy plans to increase this number to 200 communities.