Birds for Sofia Rehabilitation Wing

Since 2022, Birds for Sofia has been on the frontlines, helping Ukrainian kids with rare diseases access life-saving care during unimaginably hard times. While our primary focus was providing individual medical grants, we’ve come to a powerful realization: emergency aid isn’t enough—we need a lasting solution.

In 2024 alone, we received nearly 700 requests from families across Ukraine — 65 of them from children with neuromuscular conditions like spinal muscular atrophy. These kids require specialized, continuous rehabilitation to preserve their strength, function, and dignity.

Yet not a single pediatric neuromuscular rehabilitation center exists in Ukraine. Instead, families are forced to flee, seeking care in Poland, Germany, or the U.S.—separated from loved ones and stripped of financial security. This urgent need was reflected in our 2025 impact: nearly 50% of budget allocations went toward rehabilitating just 10% of our applicants.

To address this critical gap in 2025, BfS has launched the Rehabilitation Wing Program—a bold step toward keeping families together, strengthening local medical capacity, and offering real hope within Ukraine.

Concept and Mission

The Birds for Sofia Rehabilitation Wing is envisioned as Ukraine’s first specialized rehabilitation department—a center of excellence for children with genetic neuromuscular diseases, equipped to serve more than 100 children with rare conditions every month.

Located on the grounds of the renowned Clinical Center of Children’s Healthcare in Lviv, it will build on the institution’s 30 years of medical expertise and its deep commitment to pediatric care.

Opening this specialized care wing will allow us to:

• keep resources in Ukraine
• ensure access to medical care locally
• grow local medical expertise

Three directions

The development of the project is currently built around three strategic directions, each essential for creating a modern, sustainable, and child-centered rehabilitation environment:

1. Building Professional Capacity
2. Equipment and Technology
3. Renovation and Infrastructure

Building Professional Capacity

At the heart of the project is the continuous upskilling of medical and rehabilitation professionals. This includes specialized training programs, workshops with international experts, and long-term professional development pathways that ensure clinicians can provide evidence-based care for children with neuromuscular diseases.

Birds for Sofia has already sponsored the participation of specialists from the Rehabilitation Department of the Clinical Center of Children’s Healthcare at the:

• PUBLIC HEALTH 2025, International Medical Exhibition in Kyiv, Ukraine
• STEP-in-SMA Workshop in Utrecht, Netherlands
• BfS Rehabilitation Workshop in Würzburg, Germany

Equipment and Technology

The rehabilitation wing needs to be equipped with modern pediatric rehabilitation devices, assistive technologies, diagnostic tools, and software solutions. From gait-training systems to VR-based therapy and orthotic support units, our goal is to introduce world-class technology that enables personalized and effective treatment.

Since the launch of the project, our partnership with BÖRGEL helped deliver 46 items of supportive medical equipment to the rare patients of the Center’s Rehabilitation Department

• 2 LUISA lung ventilators
• 5 AirCon Gen 2 humidifiers
• 6 suction devices
• 7 VitaGuard pulse oximeters
• 11 inhalers
• 15 cough assist devices

along with essential accessories for lung ventilators and humidifiers, including sensors, cables, breathing tubes, suction catheters, tubing, tracheal cannulas in all sizes, masks, compresses, and dressing materials, ensuring comprehensive care during hospital stays.

Renovation and Infrastructure

Creating a safe, accessible, and functional rehabilitation environment requires significant renovation. This includes redesigning therapy rooms, building accessible spaces, updating electrical and engineering systems, and ensuring the wing meets modern clinical standards. Thoughtful infrastructure is key to supporting both medical staff and families throughout the rehabilitation journey.

The clinic team is currently conducting a comprehensive needs assessment and preparing a detailed financial analysis. Based on these findings, our Foundation will evaluate its potential contribution and determine the scope of support in 2026/27.

Partner with us in building a long-term strategy for sustainable care!