LocationsHow people with disabilities are finding support in Pryluky
When we go to class, it feels like a celebration
May 14, 2025
The Social Adaptation Space in Pryluky offers events, celebrations, recreational activities, and opportunities to learn new skills for people with disabilities.
Photo: UNDP Ukraine
Nina Hladenka and her husband live in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast. Now retired, they devote nearly all their time to caring for their younger daughter, Olena.
Nina has always loved children. She spent half of her life — until she turned 70 — working as a kindergarten teacher. Now, her daughter Olena is 45. She has lived with cerebral palsy since childhood, diagnosed just before her first birthday. Since then, Nina has done everything she can to make her daughter’s life as comfortable as possible.
“I traveled to Kyiv and to Yevpatoria. We went through multiple surgeries. Then we visited different sanatoriums for rehabilitation. Olena finished 11 years of school, but walking became more difficult, so she didn’t continue her studies,” Nina recalled.
During that time, Nina looked for support from other mothers who shared her experience. This led to the creation of a small community of women who became friends and decided to start their own non-governmental organization to help others.
“As our children grew up, we founded an organization for young people with disabilities called ‘Phoenix.’ That was back in 1993, when no one was really thinking about people with such challenges. And here we are, still working to this day. We don’t have specialists — it’s a support group where we talk and share advice,” Nina said.
Every visit to the space is a special event and provides a chance to socialize and spend time in a welcoming environment.
Photo: UNDP Ukraine
Recently, with support from the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a Social Adaptation Space opened at the Territorial Centre for Social Services in Pryluky. The centre has become essential for local families with relatives who have disabilities. It offers events, celebrations, recreational activities, and opportunities to learn new skills. Nina and her daughter are regular visitors.
“There we have computers to learn how to use, and they even installed new ovens — so my daughter and I baked apples there. When we go to class, it feels like a celebration.”
Nina says that for her daughter, every visit is a special event. It gives her a chance to socialize and spend time in a welcoming environment.
“We love her dearly. She is our life. We take her everywhere and do different exercises to support her development. Everyone in our family knows that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are ‘our’ days — no one should disturb us because we’re taking Olena to the Social Adaptation Space. We do our best to make sure she doesn’t just sit at home. But it’s getting harder — we’re getting older every day,” Nina admitted.
"It’s incredibly hard to live during wartime. There’s no joy. But the centre’s director is wonderful — she and her team always come up with something new to lift our spirits"
Photo: UNDP Ukraine
Nina’s older daughter has lived abroad for many years. She got married, started a family, and now has grandchildren of her own.
“They're all over there, and we're here. They keep inviting us: ‘Come, everything you need is here.’ They sent me a video of a bus driver stopping at a station where a woman in a wheelchair was waiting. He got out, carried her onto the bus, folded her wheelchair, secured it, and only then started driving. But we don’t want to leave home. And Olena doesn’t want to go either.”
Nina stresses that despite the ongoing war, she and her husband do everything they can to make their daughter’s life as vibrant as possible. The Social Adaptation Space plays a big role in that.
“It’s incredibly hard to live during wartime. There’s no joy. But the centre’s director is wonderful — she and her team always come up with something new to lift our spirits. If not for this space, we’d be stuck at home. And with the power outages, our apartment is often dark.”
Recently, Nina and Olena attended another class at the space. The day before, Pryluky had held funerals for fallen soldiers, so the city was in mourning. Nina said that it was an especially emotionally difficult day for her and her daughter.
“Everything around us felt so gray. But in class, we talked about nature, animals, and birds. By the time we got home, we felt so joyful — like the sun was shining inside our hearts. Can you imagine?”
despite the ongoing war, she and her husband do everything they can to make their daughter’s life as vibrant as possible.
Photo: UNDP Ukraine
The Social Adaptation Space has become a place that brings light and colour back into people’s lives, even when the world seems to throw constant challenges at them.
This material was prepared as part of the flagship “EU4Recovery — Empowering Communities in Ukraine” partnership between UNDP and the EU.
