UAH 8,200,000 to aid the palliative ward of the “City of Goodness” rehabilitation center

Credit Agricole Group Foundation has allocated UAH 8 million to support the “House of Butterflies” medical rehabilitation center created by the “City of Goodness” charity fund in Chernivtsi. The money was spent on vital medical equipment for the “House of Butterflies” palliative ward, such as a flexible video endoscope, a device to help with limbs rehabilitation, and an anesthesia machine.

“House of Butterflies” is a unique space, the largest free children’s hospice in Ukraine for those with severe incurable diagnoses. Here, there are all conditions not only for treatment, but also for life free of pain and suffering. New equipment will help to perform high-quality diagnostics, treatment of critical conditions, and rehabilitation of children in the medical center.

“During the war, when every day we receive children from the most dangerous parts of our country, we have a special mission to give the gift of security, medical care, and hope. Thanks to the new equipment, we can perform even better diagnostics and rehabilitation of children with severe diagnoses. This is a priceless support given to us and our patients’ families”, says Marta Levchenko, Founder of the “City of Goodness” center.

The uniqueness of this institution lies in the combination of a palliative ward, rehabilitation, and ambulatory care. Here, children, who are usually left alone with pain, receive love, care, and a chance at small miracles.

“Children’s Hospice House of Butterflies” created in the “City of Goodness” is a special place, a concentration of unconditional love that every child is surrounded with. It is a place where the most vulnerable children with severe diagnoses receive all the necessary help, love, and care. The employees of the center fight for a chance to recover for every child, follow individual rehabilitation plans, and that’s when miracles happen. Children, who supposedly had slim chances, make their first steps, say their first words, and take the first breath on their own. We see such success that children achieve thanks to the “House of Butterflies” team every day. This is a priceless project of realizing a mission and making a contribution. Unfortunately, the number of children in need of aid is far greater than the capacity of the center. So, the main goal of businesses and donors is to help the “House of Butterflies” grow and use that experience and unique methods to assist children. The medical equipment from Credit Agricole means the lives saved. We are overjoyed that thanks to the equipment we purchased, we can be part of the House of Butterflies miracles”, Viktoriia Torianyk, comments.

This is the third initiative aimed at helping the “City of Goodness” fund, the largest Ukrainian center for women and children who have suffered from the full-scale invasion, domestic violence, and those who have found themselves in difficult life circumstances. Here, the center provides comprehensive assistance, including medical, psychological, legal, and social support. Here, women get help with their job search, acquiring new professions, and restoring a normal life.

“There are many palliative children, around 20 thousand, but many are simply invisible in the eyes of the system. If you survey people on the street and ask the meaning of “palliative”, the majority would not be able to answer. In the “City of Goodness”, we tell stories of palliative children, and we talk about their dreams. These are often children who cannot call for help or tell where it hurts. We create a community around such a child. If we continue to perceive a palliative as pain, death, loss, severity, being bed-ridden, we will continue hiding from it. The moment we shift our perception to understanding that it is dignity, life, and light, we will switch the vector of action. When you don’t hide these children, when they become visible, the whole world starts loving them. Our goal is to make the world fall in love with each palliative child”, says Marta Levchenko, Founder of the “City of Goodness”.

Starting from November 2023, 369 children have received help in this center, 74 of whom have a palliative status.