Work trip to Ukraine

Last week, the Birds for Sofia team Sage Hancock, Tetiana Gudyma and Aliona Kuznetsova returned from their work trip to Ukraine and took the time to reflect on this view-changing experience. 

During our visit, we had the privilege of visiting two children’s hospitals in Lviv – Clinical Center of Children’s Healthcare and St. Nicholas Hospital to meet the dedicated executives and specialists who care for children facing complex and urgent cases, as well as rare diseases – in search for partnership options.

These encounters shed light on the underlying reasons and pressing challenges in Ukraine’s healthcare system when it comes to diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating children with rare conditions. Limited access to advanced diagnostic tools, insufficient funding for therapies, and a lack of specialized rehabilitation programs are just a few of the barriers families face daily.

Despite these struggles, we were deeply inspired by the unwavering commitment of Ukrainian medical professionals. Their passion and resilience fuel hope for these children and their families during times of darkness.

Thus, for instance, the Clinical Center of Children’s Healthcare provides a unique mobile hospice service to help bedridden children in remote towns, and the St.Nicholas Hospital operates the newly equipped Unbroken Wing rehabilitation center sponsored by the Unbroken Ukraine Foundation. Both facilities hold great potential for helping our patients who remain in Ukraine.

This visit has strengthened our resolve to continue working toward solutions—through funding, advocacy, and partnerships at all levels—to ensure no child with a rare condition in Ukraine is left without the care they deserve.

In light of this trip, many new projects and programs expansions are on the way.

Stay tuned!