Bringing Light to Ukraine: Rebuilding the Bordyanka Psychological Care Facility

During the invasion of Kyiv in the terrifying opening months of the 2022 war, Bordyanka, a community northwest of Kyiv, became a crucial battleground for control of the country. With the Russians moving in from Belarus and streaming down the highways, this northwestern corridor to Kyiv was a make-or-break moment for the nation.

Marina, the director of the Bordyanka Psychoneurological care facility, quickly found herself and her patients as hostages as the Russians turned her facility into a command post, staging ground, and a place to fire artillery from as the Ukrainians knew that they were being held, hostage.

During this period, she protected her patients, providing care, fetching water, and burying them. And as they escaped occupation, not all patients survived the hasty evacuation. The ensuing peaceful months were similarly not easy. Her patients were spread across the country, and she then continued on a journey to collect and bring them back to their homes.

With the support of one exceptional, Barbara Friedman, we support her quest to rebuild her care facility even during the war. Through Barbara's generous donations, we were able to help her procure and set up lighting and electrical and provide other essential appliances for her facility. So where these patients once ate and navigated the halls of the facility in the dark, they can now have light again, even during the rolling blackouts throughout the country.