BO “Regional Center for Social Adaptation” has been operating for over 30 years. Citizens who have returned from places of imprisonment, persons with disabilities without a place of residence, persons with addictions to harmful habits find shelter in it.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, internally displaced persons have found refuge here. The main goal of the organization is the social adaptation of such citizens. The Social Adaptation Center is located in the suburbs of Brody in the middle of picturesque nature. A large territory is surrounded by a forest massif. The shelter functions autonomously: it has heating, water, a canteen and a medical center. It is quite difficult with electricity, because its costs are not covered by the state.

The head of the “Regional Center for Social Adaptation” Ihor Hnat familiarized the representatives of the LAP – Ihor Vuytsik and Davyd Kravchenko in detail with the peculiarities of the operation of the shelter. The peculiarity of the institution is that the residents themselves are engaged in the maintenance of the shelter. There is a small farm with 6 cows, 7 calves, 12 goats and 2 horses. People take care of animals themselves, cultivate a plot of land in order to grow the necessary vegetables and fodder for animals. They also bought equipment for cooling milk, so they have the opportunity to produce various dairy products.

At present, 70 people live in the shelter, 49 of them are internally displaced persons from Mariupol, Pokrovsk, Bakhmut and other cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions.  Representatives of LAP had the opportunity to talk with them. Mrs. Alla moved to the shelter from Mariupol back in 2022, she is satisfied with her accommodation, she grows vegetables – carrots, beets, onions, etc. Her colleague, Mrs. Natalya from Pokrovsk, has been living in the shelter since 2023. Depending on his strength and health, he helps in the kitchen and works on the flower beds. Mrs. Natalya says that the most important thing here is peace, when you are not hiding in the basement and expecting the arrival of deadly weapons every minute.

The head of the Institution, Ihor Hnat, spoke about the daily challenges the Center faces, because it is a non-governmental institution and has to rely on its own resources and benefactors. Mr. Ihor noted that the assistance provided by the Lviv Agrarian Chamber within the framework of the UN WFP Institutional Nutrition Program is extremely necessary for them. Because their purchase requires significant funds, since the institution itself does not manufacture these products and it is necessary to find sponsors to purchase them, which is currently very expensive.

“All our wards are very grateful for such generous assistance, which significantly diversifies their nutrition, and they hope that the Institutional Nutrition Program will continue to operate and be a reliable support for people in need”, – noted Ihor Hnat.

Source. Lviv Agrarian Chamber