Favbet Foundation: “Victory is today, children are the future, and they are inextricably connected”

During the war, Ukraine received prestigious international awards such as the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes, along with a less known, although highly esteemed award, from the Eastern Partnership countries for the development of civil society in 2022.

The war not only united the population, business, and government in the face of Russian aggression but also accelerated the “maturation” of civil society. It became widely recognized that Ukrainians aspire to live in a country that upholds democratic values without compromises.

In pursuit of this goal, the charitable foundation Favbet Foundation was established in 2020, during the pandemic year, with the aim of developing society through educational and sports programs and nurturing young people who will contribute to building a dream country.

By Feb. 24, 2022, the foundation had financed nearly a hundred humanitarian initiatives. One notable project involved the installation of over 2,000 televisions in children’s group homes.

One of the foundation’s initial projects, supported by the Office of the President and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, was the provision of 4,000 computers for the digitization of local libraries and the establishment of educational centers. This initiative was recognized as a best practice in business-government interaction at the Anti-Crisis PR Marathon in 2021.

Within the Favbet Foundation, the most remarkable pre-war experience was an encounter with members of the Ukrainian team at the Invictus Games in August 2021. These soldiers had suffered serious injuries in Donbas but found a new lease on life through sports.

Their participation inspired the creation of the exhibition “Code of Unbreakability: Real Stories of Modern Heroes” at Photo Kyiv 2021 and fostered collaboration with the “Come Back Alive” Foundation, with a monthly allocation of 100,000 UAH ($2,700) for the rehabilitation of wounded veterans.

The extraordinary circumstances after the invasion led the foundation’s leadership to make an extraordinary decision. In addition to providing financial support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by transferring millions of hryvnias to a special account at the National Bank, United24, and “Come Back Alive” foundations, Favbet also established its own aid hubs: one for the civilian population and another for the frontline.

The civilian hub focused on delivering humanitarian aid to Kyiv, medical supplies to Kharkiv, and sanitation vehicles to Mykolaiv. It is also involved in efforts to restore destroyed infrastructure, search for missing persons through an online platform, and evacuate civilians from shelling and occupation. Thanks to this initiative, hundreds of families from cities like Ochakiv and Kherson were able to relocate to safer areas, while others received essential supplies, food, and water. During the period of the prolonged blackout in the country, generators and fuel were provided.

An important separate project initiated in the spring of 2022 was the Ukrainian Adaptation Center in Zagreb, which aimed to provide comprehensive assistance to Ukrainian refugees in Croatia. In 2023, this project received recognition in the “Responsible Country” rating by the publications MMR and Delo in the category of “Charitable Foundation’s Own Projects.”

The creation of a military hub proved to be much more challenging than humanitarian work. For the team of a regular charitable foundation, which until recently had no idea about the specifics of military support, this became a serious challenge.

If we try to briefly describe the task that the Favbet Foundation set for itself and its partners and was able to accomplish, it is to help Ukrainian defenders win battles and stay alive.

For over a year now, a wide range of equipment, weapons, fuel, and high-tech gear (communication systems, thermal imagers, night vision scopes, and much more) have been sent to the military and intelligence units.

A priority naturally emerged: equipping military units in the hottest spots with necessary vehicles in a record short (which is very important) period of time.

To date, the front has received 120 off-road vehicles, vans, and trucks, and this number is constantly growing.

And since September 2022, it has been possible to see how the vehicles are being prepared for the front line in a live online project called “Upgrading Vehicles for the Armed Forces.”

Drones are also essential for victory, as they are indispensable in detecting enemy positions and adjusting artillery fire.

In total, the foundation has provided the Armed Forces with over 65 drones of different types and purposes: from ordinary DJI Mavic drones to assault UAVs like “Lazar” (in April of this year). At present, the development of a fleet of naval drones is underway, with a personal contribution of 200,000 hryvnias made by Andriy Matyukha, the President of the Favbet Foundation.

The fact that the war has turned this sports and educational charitable foundation into an effective element of rear support for the Armed Forces has not altered the primary goal for which the Favbet Foundation was established. They still view the development of children, sports, education, medicine, and, ultimately, the modernization of civil society as their mission.

The first steps towards returning to “peaceful tracks” were already taken in 2023: in parallel with aid to the Armed Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces and HUR (Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry) initiated several humanitarian programs. One direction, under the general name “Superhero Club,” is dedicated to taking care of children and teenagers, primarily from the families of internally displaced persons and servicemembers.

Currently, three projects are being implemented within its framework. The first one, an intellectual project dubbed “IT Kids,” in collaboration with “Code Club Ukraine,” is an educational course for learning the most popular programming language, Python. The foundation has already funded the training of over 352 students aged 12-15 in 16 online and 14 offline groups.

The second one, a practical project named “Power in Knowledge,” provides large boxes of modern stationery to over 1,000 schoolchildren, and soon nearly 4,500 more will receive them.

And finally, “Stronger Together” – free (i.e., funded by the foundation) sports sections for football and basketball at the Physical Health Center “Sports for All” in the capital. There are also boxing and wrestling sections at the SpartaBox combat club. This sports component is planned to expand in the future.

Another direction of non-military activity for the Favbet Foundation is the medical field – specifically, support for the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital and the A.P. Romodanov Institute of Neurosurgery.

In early 2023, the Favbet Foundation paid 4 million UAH ($108,000) for the acquisition of a unique medical device that will be useful for both seriously ill and injured patients. This refers to BK5000 ultrasound system, containing a battery, a set of sensors, and software. This specialized equipment is indispensable for surgical operations related to oncological diseases, vascular anomalies, as well as injuries to the brain and spinal cord.

It is understandable that after the end of hostilities, the need for high-quality diagnostic and rehabilitation equipment will not decrease but only increase. Currently, European countries and the United States have taken on some of the responsibility for the treatment of Ukrainians. However, sooner or later, it will all fall on our shoulders.

The heroic resistance to aggression and successes on the battlefield have opened new opportunities for Ukraine. We have already gained popularity worldwide, and have become a strengthened and united society, but at the same time, have developed deep wounds that will take years to heal.

Understanding this, the Favbet Foundation plans to work together with the Armed Forces until victory is achieved, and once it is celebrated, return to its usual humanitarian activities. As the president of the foundation, Andriy Matyukha, says, “Victory is today, children are the future, and they are inextricably connected for both Ukraine and us.”

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine