A veteran from Prykarpattia opened a massage room for the rehabilitation of fellow soldiers

Last year's winner of the social initiatives contest "Time to Act, Ukraine!" Vasyl Shtunder told how participation in the competition changed his life, and what he spent 100 thousand UAH of grant funds on, reports UNN.

Details

Vasyl Shtunder is a veteran who has dedicated himself to the rehabilitation of fellow soldiers. After the Maidan, the 1st volunteer battalion named after General Kulchytskyi was formed. Shtunder did not get into the first rotation and returned home, but the thought of service did not give the man peace. So after some time, he went to Kyiv again, passed the commission and at the beginning of 2015 he joined the ranks of the battalion - he was a machine gunner. Over time, the man began to have problems with his back, which forced him to demobilize.

"Two years of service were behind me, and I didn't know what to do next. There was no work at home, and I gave up the massages I used to do. I went to Poland to earn money. That's how I lived - I went back and forth. The last time I left was a month before the full-scale war, and as soon as I learned about the invasion, I immediately decided to return. At that time, there were battles for Kyiv.

I planned to join my battalion again, but a friend refused: "You won't be able to handle it with your back. It's better to help with massages." Then this friend and his brothers-in-arms were ambushed - they all died. Then I remembered his words and realized - he saved me. And if I survived, I have to continue my work," the man recalls.

Shtunder opened an office, and at that time he had only two couches. They were given to him by guys who are engaged in production nearby.

Later, the man learned about the social initiatives contest "Time to Act, Ukraine!", and decided to take a chance. He was lucky. It was a co-financing project: 50 thousand was provided by the city council, for which an electric massage chair was purchased, and about 100 thousand more - "MHP-Hromadi". With this money, a vacuum machine, massage beds, a chair, a quartz lamp and a phyto-barrel were purchased.

"The phyto-barrel is such a mini-sauna on herbs, a very cool thing - I first tried it back in 2015, when I came on vacation, and then I got the idea to have one in my office. Now we have everything we need for a quality therapeutic and relaxation massage. All services for military personnel and families of the dead are free of charge.

In addition to the massage room, we have opened the Kryla Nadiy sports and recreation center. There we have exercise machines, a treadmill, and psychological assistance - a psychologist has joined us, who works with both the guys and their relatives," the man said.

Shtunder and his team work without salaries, all expenses are covered by charitable contributions. They are constantly looking for support, because there are many requests from the military.

"We also help the children of military personnel - twice a month we organize events and excursions for them. We took the children to the dolphinarium in Truskavets, to the circus in Lviv, and organized other trips. We have a projector, and last Saturday we organized a screening of cartoons. There are people on the team who work in schools and help with the organization. When a child calls their father at the front and shares how well they spent their time, he can't get enough of it - it supports them. That's what we work for," he said.

Let's add that during the entire existence of the "Time to Act, Ukraine!" contest, the MHP-Hromadi charitable foundation has provided more than UAH 42 million in funding, supported 552 social initiatives that have benefited more than 3.2 million people.

Main stages of the competitive selection:

• start of applications: March 18, 2025;
• deadline for applications: April 21, 2025 (until 4:00 p.m. Kyiv time);
• announcement of winners: June 10, 2025.

Projects are submitted through the competition website.

Reference

"MHP-Hromadi" is a Ukrainian charitable foundation that started its activity in 2015. Its main mission is the comprehensive development of communities. The geography of its activity includes 13 regions of Ukraine, with more than 700 towns and villages. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the fund has systematically supported people in combat zones, Ukrainian defenders and rescuers, communities, hospitals and maternity hospitals, charitable institutions that care for orphans and the elderly, as well as people who have been left homeless and without means of subsistence due to the war.