The History of the Ioanniv Centre

How the idea came about

The idea to establish the “Ioanniv Center” Charitable Organization was conceived by Pavel and Dmitry Ovchinnikov, the founders of the company “KIDDISVIT,” in 2011. It was taken up by the “Pomagayem” Charitable Foundation. The founding team visited about 10 rehabilitation centers in Ukraine and Europe to develop a clear plan: the center should provide physical rehabilitation and career guidance services, it should have inclusive studios for children with disabilities and healthy children from the local community, the center should establish effective collaboration with parents, and—for those who wish—offer spiritual support.

We found the buildin

In 2012, a building was found on the grounds of a hospital in the town of Pidhorodne near Dnipro, which consisted of nothing but bare walls. It took four years to complete the paperwork for the building and develop a concept for the future center. This process was slowed down by events in the country and the start of the ATO: the efforts of philanthropists were focused on helping internally displaced persons. At the same time, the architectural design for the future center was being carefully prepared.

Renovation

In 2017, renovation work began, completely transforming the appearance of the building. More than 15 million hryvnias (around 600,000 dollars) were spent on the renovation, the purchase of the building for the future Centre and the procurement of equipment. The Centre’s medical team underwent training at the best Ukrainian and European rehabilitation centres.

Opening

In December 2019, the “Ioanniv Center” opened, and in 2020 it began accepting children for rehabilitation. Under Resolution No. 309 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, rehabilitation for children began to be funded by the state. Starting in 2021, the center’s target audience was expanded, and the “Ioanniv Center” began working with adults. That same year, the “Ioanniv Center” began accepting patients for rehabilitation funded by the National Health Service of Ukraine.

We strive to ensure that our center does more than just provide high-quality services. We want these services to be accessible to every patient. This is precisely the focus of the center’s founders’ efforts and our social and charitable program

Resilience during wartime

The full-scale war has become both a new challenge and a new stage of development. The Center has adapted its work to society’s new needs:

• Support for children with psychological, emotional, and neurological consequences of the war has been expanded
• Efforts to assist adults after trauma have been stepped up
• The development of programs for male and female veterans has begun
• Modern technologies—VR solutions and neural interfaces—have been integrated
• Social support for families has been expanded