A barrier-free rehabilitation module and a specialized outdoor area for the recovery of Ukrainians affected by the war were opened in Holovanivsk

This is the fifth social franchise project launched with the support of Visa and Oschadbank, which aims to make rehabilitation and psychosocial services accessible to veterans and civilians without the need to travel to other cities.

Oschadbank, NGO Bezbariernist, Mindy Foundation, Visa, Kernel, and Holovanivsk Village Council have opened a new mobile rehabilitation module and a specialized outdoor area. They were set up to provide assistance to veterans, their families, and civilians affected by the full-scale war.

The fully barrier-free (inclusive) module with an area of 72 square meters is equipped with high-quality modern equipment. The module's specialists will provide patients with comprehensive rehabilitation services, including social integration, psychological support, and physical therapy. In particular, this will include gait training on prostheses, prosthetic support, ergotherapy, and speech restoration.

The center will also offer legal support, employment counseling, training, retraining, and other social services.

Thus, the module in Holovanivsk creates full-fledged conditions for the recovery and return to active life in the community without the necessity for the residents who need rehabilitation to travel to other cities.

"The most important thing is the ability to get everything you need here and now - in your community, without waiting, barriers, and unnecessary travel. This is what veterans' policy should be like - close, understandable, and accessible. Everyone who needs rehabilitation - physical, psychological, or social - should have this support nearby. After all, rehabilitation is not only about restoring the body but also about returning to life, believing in yourself, and feeling supported. I am grateful to all the partners who help implement such projects in communities - this is a true partnership for the sake of a decent life for our veterans, their families, and all those affected by the war," emphasized Natalia Kalmykova, Minister of Veterans’ Affairs of Ukraine.

"The opening of the rehabilitation site is an important step towards creating an accessible environment for every resident of our community. We want children, the military, people with disabilities, and everyone who needs support to be able to engage in physical rehabilitation in comfortable and modern conditions. I thank everyone who contributed to the implementation of this project - together we are making the Holovanivsk community even more accessible and united!" said Serhii Tsobenko, Head of the Holovanivsk Village Council.

A modern rehabilitation area of 70 square meters is also located next to the module. Its purpose is to help patients restore their walking skills and facilitate their physical rehabilitation. Thanks to the canopy, visitors to the module will be able to train in a comfortable environment in any weather and at any time of the year.

"We are not just opening rehabilitation modules - we are building a unified support system that operates under common social franchise standards in all regions. Where there used to be a lack of rehabilitation and psychosocial services, today people can get professional help close to home. For us, this is about true accessibility. And to ensure that each module works at a high level, we are simultaneously investing in team training. The goal is simple: so that in any city in Ukraine, a person can take a step towards recovery and feel that he or she is not alone," commented Bohdan Minenko, head of the social franchise of the Mindy Charity Foundation.

The space in Holovanivsk is the fifth module opened under the social franchise implemented by the Mindy Charitable Foundation with the support of Visa and Oschadbank and the second in partnership with Kernel.

"The way we see a community-based service sprouting up right before our eyes, right where people need it, is a testament to and the result of cooperation and consolidation of efforts. Thanks to the combined efforts of partners from the Business Without Barriers community, in cooperation with the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the NGO Bezbariernist, today such barrier-free rehabilitation spaces are becoming an important part of the response to the challenges posed by the war," said Olga Gorbaniova, an expert at the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. - “It is also an important part of the development of mental health services that are currently being rolled out as part of the ”Are You OK?" initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska, part of a major transformation of the entire service system with the person at its center.”

"In line with our global mission to be accessible to every person around the world, Visa is convinced that access to rehabilitation should not be a privilege for residents of large cities, but an inalienable right for everyone, regardless of where they live. “For more than a year and a half, we have been successfully scaling the social franchise of rehabilitation modules together with our partners, covering more and more small communities,” said Tetiana Chorna, Vice President and Regional Manager of Visa Ukraine. "The opening of the mobile rehabilitation module in Holovanivsk is another step towards building an inclusive Ukraine where everyone affected by the war can receive support and recover close to home.”

"Kernel has consistently supported initiatives that strengthen community resilience and contribute to the sustainable development of Ukraine. The installation of the rehabilitation module in Holovanivsk is part of our social impact strategy, where partnership and trust are key to real change. Together with the community, foundations, and businesses, we are creating an environment where support is close by and available to everyone," commented Lilia Marachkanets, Kernel's CSR Manager.

"We are pleased that the project of mobile rehabilitation modules is moving across the country. Today we are opening the fifth such facility. New locations appear, new partners join the project. This proves that such an initiative is timely. At Oschad, we implement many diverse projects to support veterans. I want to assure you that our bank will continue to do everything possible to ensure that Ukrainian heroes return to peaceful life and become new leaders of our country," commented Sergii Naumov, Chairman of the Management Board of Oschadbank.

The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Coordination Center for Mental Health of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the NGO Bezbariernist within the framework of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program “Are You OK?”, an initiative of First Lady Olena Zelenska, as well as members of the Business Without Barriers community: Visa, Oschadbank and Kernel.

The social franchise format involves the work of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, which makes the rehabilitation process as effective as possible. The functioning of the rehabilitation module is ensured by a case manager, a psychologist, a physical and rehabilitation therapist (PRT), a speech therapist, and specialists from other fields.

The social franchise contains a full package of necessary documents and algorithms for interaction between the main participants: the community, the state, and donors. This makes it easier to integrate the module into the local healthcare system, NHSU packaging, and other state and local services. This approach significantly strengthens the system of secondary long-term rehabilitation after the main period of treatment in an outpatient format.

The first rehabilitation module of the social franchise, with the support of Visa and Oschadbank, was opened in Ovruch, the Zhytomyr region, in January 2024. The second one was opened in Vasylkiv, the Kyiv region, in October; the third one in Kropyvnytskyi in December of the same year; and the fourth one in Khotyn, the Chernivtsi region, in March 2025.