Three soldiers with severe spinal injuries and discouraging prognoses have been given a chance at a full life thanks to the support of the charitable foundation "After Service". Overall, the foundation comprehensively supports veterans and their families, said the foundation’s director Yuliia Honcharova on Army FM.
The foundation was established in 2022 to address the problems of servicemembers in civilian life, as well as to support military families, says Yuliia Honcharova.
– The founder of the foundation is American veteran Edward Marshall. Since 2014, he has been volunteering to support our Armed Forces. Visiting units at the front, he witnessed all the problems firsthand, so he decided to establish the foundation and thus support the military.
According to Yuliia Honcharova, there are four main areas of assistance for veterans, servicemembers, and their families: legal support, psychological help, patronage services in military units, and medical rehabilitation.
– Medical rehabilitation is a priority because we take on the support of severely wounded soldiers who have exhausted all state-provided options but whose condition has not improved. These are bedridden palliative patients who had no chance left. But we raise funds worldwide, and within 3–6 months, people who could not get up, react, or even chew independently, not only sit up but start walking. One-third of such patients no longer need wheelchairs after rehabilitation.
According to Yuliia Honcharova, over the past year and a half alone, 32 cases of successful medical assistance have been provided by the foundation.
– In total, nearly 3,000 requests have been processed and assistance provided in a year and a half. Overall, twelve successful rehabilitations after severe injuries have been completed. There are also three cases of successful rehabilitation of soldiers with severe spinal cord injuries. These people were told they would never stand again, but now they are walking with a cane.
The foundation’s team is small, but volunteers help manage the workload, notes Yuliia Honcharova.
– We have four case managers, an SMM manager, and a project manager. Volunteers help a lot, and psychologists also often contribute on a voluntary basis.
With the support of "After Service", a rest room for military personnel operates at the Kyiv railway station, says Yuliia Honcharova.
– The initiative is called "Stop. Rest." You just need to register and submit a request via the website – and you have an overnight stay in a six-bed room with a shower and all amenities.
Thanks to the foundation, veterans can not only meet their urgent needs but also gather together and socialize, emphasizes Yuliia Honcharova.
– Last year it was called "Happy Hours", and now it’s Veteran Connect. On the last Wednesday of each month, we organize veteran meetings, order pizza from "Veterano Pizza", and try to invite well-known performers among defenders and volunteers. We meet, talk – sometimes at our foundation, sometimes at another good location.
"After Service" also helps veterans with job placement, says the foundation’s director.
– We have already helped 72 people with training and obtaining a new profession. Many veterans do not plan to return to their previous specialty after leaving service. Many want to get remote jobs, so they study IT. Quite a few men and women have received massage therapist certificates. They are already working and have opened their own practices.
If you need assistance, fill out the registration form on the "After Frontline" website, and a manager will call you back to accompany you further. Applications are processed within two days at most, emphasizes Yuliia Honcharova.