Ukrainian Action Signs MoU with Ski Federation of Ukraine
25 Jul 2024
Ukraine’s Ski Federation will support the US-UK non-profit’s Ukrainian Action Heroes rehabilitation program in the Carpathian Mountains
Ukrainian Action hosted 19 veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the program during February and March 2024
Ukrainian Action Heroes rehabilitation program provides instruction in skiing, snowboarding and psychological support through group therapy activities, and will continue this summer with outdoor mountain sports
KYIV—25 July 2024—Ukrainian Action, the US nonprofit organization and UK charity dedicated to supporting the survival and recovery of Ukraine, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ski Federation of Ukraine for collaboration on the Ukrainian Action Heroes rehabilitation program for Ukrainian war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The agreement was signed at the office of the Ski Federation in central Kyiv between President of the Federation, Leonid Dmytrovych Tikun, and Ukrainian Action (UA) co-founder and CEO Jeffrey Hartman.
The Ukrainian Action Heroes (UAH) program brings Ukrainian war veterans to Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains for 10 days, where veterans receive instruction in skiing and snowboarding in winter and go hiking in summer. Veterans receive psychological support through group therapy and mindfulness activities.
The first three cohorts totaled 19 veterans who attended the program in February and March 2024. Four more cohorts are planned for the summer months and will focus on hiking and outdoor mountain sports, supported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Veteran Affairs.
Next winter, Ukrainian Action plans to expand the Heroes program to offer adaptive skiing for veterans with amputations, with the support of the Ski Federation of Ukraine (SFU).
The SFU will support the program and assist with skiing infrastructure, instruction, equipment and other operational areas. Together, UA and the SFU will promote skiing and snowboarding for mental and physical rehabilitation of war veterans and their families in Ukraine, and jointly promote winter sports in Ukraine in general.
“We are incredibly pleased to collaborate with the Ski Federation of Ukraine to expand our Ukrainian Action Heroes program to offer more opportunities for Ukrainian war veterans to heal in the mountains through the power of skiing and snowboarding, and specifically to offer adaptive skiing for veterans with serious physical disabilities incurred in the defense of their country,” announced Mr Hartman.
"Our federation will make every effort to help our defenders recover from the war experience, and we look forward to collaborating with Ukrainian Action to support adaptive skiing for veterans in Ukraine,” remarked Yulia Syparenko, Secretary General of the Ski Federation of Ukraine.
How to help
To donate or volunteer, please visit www.ukrainianaction.com/recovery/ukrainian-action-heroes To buy Ukrainian Action merchandise to support the relief effort, please the organization’s online store. All profits go to support our work in Ukraine. To follow Ukrainian Action on its social media accounts, please visit its Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
About Ukrainian Action
Headquartered in London, Ukrainian Action is a UK charity and U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the survival and recovery of Ukraine. Co-founded days after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, by CEO Jeffrey Hartman, his Ukrainian-born wife Natasha and Matthew Morgan, Ukrainian Action has raised over $4 million USD and donated more than 290 vehicles and hundreds of pallets of physical humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. The organization is a network of 40 volunteer members, more than 350 volunteer drivers and over 1,000 donors. Ukrainian Action is registered with the United Kingdom Charity Commission with UK Registered Charity Number 1202133, and is a U.S. tax-exempt public charity under 501(c)(3): FEIN 88-1173971. All donations from individual U.S. taxpayers are tax-deductible. To learn more, please visit: www.ukrainianaction.com.
Media contact
Jeffrey Hartman
Co-founder and CEO
