Time to act, Unstoppable: how adaptive sport accelerates the path of rehabilitation and reintegration for veterans and people with disabilities

In the spring of 2022, veteran Bohdan Kliuchka volunteered for the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade as a machine gunner. He was defending the outskirts of Krasnohorivka, near Avdiivka. There, while performing a mission, he was wounded and lost his leg. After prosthetics and rehabilitation,  returned to work and also took up amputees and indoor volleyball.

For me, it's an opportunity to keep fit and to be in a circle of people who have similar experiences

He is a member of the Cherkasy-based team of MSK Dnipro, which held a demonstration training session for veterans and people with disabilities in amputee football. This is a type of crutch football for people who have lost limbs.

The Dnipro Adaptive Club  is one of 15 winners of the Time to Act, Unstoppable competition , which received grant support on a co-financing basis from the MHP Community Charitable Foundation  as part of the MHP Poruch military and veterans reintegration program, the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health "Sport for All" State Institution, with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine as part of the President of Ukraine's social project Active Parks - Locations of Healthy Ukraine.

Our MHP-Community Foundation has been focusing its activities on the restoration and development of Ukrainian communities for almost 10 years. And when we started implementing the MHP Poruch (MHP Next Door) program to support military and veterans a year and a half ago, we realized that adaptive sports accelerate the rehabilitation and reintegration of wounded soldiers and people with disabilities. And the next challenge for us was that many communities do not have modern adaptive sports clubs with quality equipment and trained coaches. Therefore, within the framework of the grant competition "Time to Act, Unstoppable" we supported the creation of 15 adaptive clubs in different villages and cities of the country

Currently, more than 80 war veterans and people with disabilities are training at the Dnipro Sports Club. The club offers the following sections: amp-football, sitting volleyball, table tennis, archery, powerlifting, and track and field. There are plans to open a rowing and swimming section. 

"It is important for us to create barrier-free conditions for people with disabilities, including those caused by the war, and this is what we are doing. The project aims to create and equip sports centers and adaptive clubs in communities for physical education, communication with like-minded people and professional support from qualified coaches, stimulating their reintegration into the social life of the community. Thus, the grant competition for communities that can receive up to UAH 400 thousand to create an adaptive club "Nestrymni" in their village or town is a great opportunity to start working in this direction," says Oleksandr Bozhok, acting director of the State Institution ‘Sport for All’.

Also, as part of the Time to Act, Unstoppable contest , an educational module on professional development and accounting support was held . Gym coaches received certificates from the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine. 

We support the development of adaptive sports at our company MHP-Urozhay and in the community. With the support of the MHP Poruch program, we held an inclusive competition called Victory of the Unconquered in Cherkasy, where veterans and people with disabilities competed in rowing, bench press, aero bikes, and kettlebell snatch. Such events show that our defenders remain a role model not only on the battlefield but also in sports

According to Serhiy Tymofeyev, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, there are more than 80 adaptive clubs in Ukraine that offer classes in jiu-jitsu, general physical fitness, swimming, Nordic walking, rugby, and archery. All of them are adapted for people with disabilities.

One of the priorities of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine today is the development of adaptive sports to create conditions for war veterans, people with disabilities, and people with limitations in daily functioning to participate in physical fitness and sports activities, which will restore their physical health and improve their psycho-emotional state. Adaptive sports is about the opportunity to return to an active social life, find support from like-minded people and feel your own strength. Adaptive clubs create a safe environment not only for quality physical and mental recovery, but also for social adaptation, help overcome barriers and help restore confidence in their abilities. Such projects, the interaction of government, business, and civil society institutions ensure the development of an inclusive society where every manager understands the importance of adaptive sports, and every beneficiary has a chance for an active life, recovery, and social interaction

Adaptive sport is not just physical activity, but a comprehensive approach to the rehabilitation and reintegration of veterans and people with disabilities. Sport helps restore motor functions, increases endurance, and improves overall health. And what's important  is that adaptive sport has the advantage of allowing a gradual return to active social life. Training in a team, participating in competitions, achieving personal records allow people to feel support and community with others, which has a positive impact on their social adaptation.

Additional information: 

"Time to Act, Unstoppable" is a grant competition for communities that can receive up to UAH 400 thousand to create an adaptive club ‘Unstoppable’ in their village or town.

The project is being implemented in 13 regions of Ukraine, namely: Vinnytsia, Volyn, Dnipropetrovs'k, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Sumy, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Cherkasy, Chernihiv regions and the city of Kyiv. 

Project partners: MHP to the Community Charitable Foundation  as part of the MHP Poruch military and veterans reintegration program, the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health "Sport for All" as part of the Active Parks project under the Presidential Program, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

The project aims to create and equip sports centers in communities adapted for people with disabilities, including people with war-related disabilities, where they can engage in physical education, communicate with like-minded people and receive professional support from qualified coaches, stimulating their reintegration into the social life of the community.