Anna Ogorodnyk is a 14-year-old schoolgirl from Vinnytsia. She attends school, social and cultural events in the city, and receives physical activity services at rehabilitation centers. All of this became possible for her thanks to the work of the Transportation Service, which operates on the basis of the Harmony NGO.
Olena and her daughter Anna live in a remote area of Vinnytsia. Public transportation there is rare: there is only one route – bus #5, which does not always go where it is needed. This limited the family’s ability to move around the city.
“It’s hard when the public transportation stop is far from the desired address and you have to walk with your daughter in the snow or rain. The ability to order a transportation service is not only convenient, but also necessary, especially in bad weather when you need to move around the city with a child who uses a wheelchair,” says Olena.
Thanks to the services of the Transportation Service from the Harmony NGO, Anna attends a secondary school. The transportation service, like a social taxi, takes the girl to and from school.
“Anna loves going to school. After kindergarten, it was a new team for her. Of course, she had some fears: she was worried about how the children and teachers would treat her, whether anyone would help her. Everything went very well. The kids help Ania. They are always interested in moving the wheelchair and talking to Anya,” says mother Olena.
According to her, the biggest benefit is that these services allow children to reach any destination. There is no need to transfer the child from the wheelchair to the car. You can use an equipped car with a lift. Thanks to the Transportation Service, in addition to school, Anna is able to visit a psychologist and a rehabilitation therapist, as well as attend classes at the Harmony NGO’s teen club. The girl loves to socialize and has many friends.
“The transportation service is not just a car. It is freedom of movement for my child. We can order a car whenever we want, and it will take us where we need to go. There are no longer any restrictions on public transportation schedules. For us, it’s not just transportation – it’s freedom of choice and the opportunity to be active in society,” the woman says.
The transportation service began operating in Vinnytsia in 2007 on the initiative of the Harmony NGO and with the support of the Vinnytsia City Council. Over all these years, the Transportation Service has become an important element of the city’s infrastructure and provides transportation accessibility for all people with limited mobility.
The project is being implemented thanks to a grant from the League of the Strong NGO. The views expressed in this material are those of Harmony and therefore do not in any way reflect the official opinion of the financial partners.