Rinat Akhmetov: “I want to thank each of you!”

“I want to thank each of you. Over the year, you have been working consistently 24/7 to help people to survive. And I strongly believe that if you do not perceive the pain of others as your own, if you do not put your heart and soul, you cannot do the work you are doing! So, I want to say thank you very much! Never, even in the most frightening dream, have I thought that we would be saving our fellow countrymen from starvation and helping them to survive. “Survive” is a terrible word but it is true. You know better than anyone else how our assistance is helping people and how they are waiting for it,” Rinat Akhmetov said.

Heads of the Center’s departments told its founder about their actions and current problems. They also shared how people perceive the humanitarian aid and what issues need urgent attention.

As of 12 August, the Humanitarian Center has given four million food parcels to civilians in Donbass. “The Center is working to the full extent of its capacity,” said the director of Humanitarian Center Grigory Koldunov.

“Rinat Akhmetov sent his sincere words of gratitude to every volunteer who has worked at the Center during the year. Thank you so much! The meeting was very warm. We analysed what we have done and talked much about how we will continue to help. Rinat Akhmetov said again that Donbass is in his heart forever, and he has never stopped thinking of it, not for a moment. He will be helping as long as his help is needed,” said Rimma Fil, Coordinator of the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center.

Profile

The Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center was established on 6 August 2014. The Center has pooled resources of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, all SCM Group’s businesses and FC Shakhtar. The Center operates in the following areas: supplying humanitarian food to civilians, rendering targeted assistance, providing psychological help to parents and children with the “trauma of war”.

As of 12 August 2015, the Humanitarian Center has:

• distributed 4,014,465 food parcels for adults and 290,164 food parcels for children
• delivered humanitarian food parcels to 500,000 people on a monthly basis
• provided targeted assistance to 4,910 people (in total to 20,195 if calculated with the help provided by SCM Group companies)
• given psychological help to over 23,000 children 
• given 1,942 children an opportunity to attend health recreation facilities within the Peaceful Summer for Donbass Children programme (600 children went to a summer camp in the Azov Sea and 1,342 children spent summer time in children’s centers).