How different partners help ADRA Ukraine provide life-changing wheelchairs during the war
Olena had spent weeks praying for a way to move again. After losing a limb, she relied on a borrowed wheelchair just to get around her home in Kryvyi Rih. But when the owner needed it back, she was left stranded — unable to reach the kitchen, the outdoors, or even her own front door.
A few days later, ADRA’s team arrived with a wheelchair made just for her. She was deeply grateful. For Olena, it wasn’t only a chair. It was her life back.
A growing need in a time of war
Across Ukraine, the number of people needing wheelchairs has risen sharply. Many have been injured during hostilities. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Existing equipment is often too old, too few, or simply broken.
In this painful season, you bring hope. Through partnerships with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Wheelchairs Foundation, ADRA Ukraine is delivering both hospital-use and individual wheelchairs — each one restoring dignity, independence, and the courage to keep going.
Compassion in action
At the centre of this ministry is Philip Schubert, ADRA Ukraine’s project manager. As he coordinates safety for staff and manages two major wheelchair programmes, he sees the need up close every day.
Thanks to caring people like you, hundreds of chairs have already been delivered.
- 333 assisted-movement wheelchairs for hospital- and daycare homes under the LDS project
- About 200 semi-active chairs for independent movement under the Wheelchairs Foundation project, with more on the way
These chairs are reaching institutions and individuals in Svalyava, Kaniv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and many other communities where the need is urgent.
Stories of hope and courage
Every wheelchair touches a life. In Kremenets, ADRA delivered 45 chairs to a rehabilitation centre and elderly care homes. Ex-combatants tell us how these chairs let them step outside again, reconnect with loved ones, and wait for prosthetics with dignity. Associations helping evacuate people from dangerous areas use the chairs simply to move people from home to safety.
And through the support of partners like Nova Poshta, the first big shipment reached communities over a long distance free of charge.
Looking ahead with love
ADRA Ukraine is now preparing to support even more hospitals and individuals, especially in the eastern regions where the need is greatest. The goal is simple and full of love: to make wheelchairs accessible across the country and restore mobility to every person who needs it.
Source: Based on an interview in ADRA Ukraine’s newsletter October 2025.