Olena Honcharenko
HR Clerk at Vetropack Gostomel, member of the Foundation Working Group
After the liberation of Gostomel, many employees asked us for assistance. Large numbers of colleagues throughout the Vetropack Group also wanted to help. This is how the Vetropack Foundation Gostomel came into being – and through it, we have already been able to help 53 people. Former staff members who are not currently employed but were still working on 24 February 2022 have also received support. There are three of us in the Foundation's working group at Gostomel. We process the documents and visit the affected locations to assess the damage.
"I talk in person with every family that receives support. I know almost every one of these people. It is very difficult to deal psychologically with their suffering, and with all the requests for help."
Around 50 of our plant’s employees are currently defending our country on the front line. Sad to say, not all of them will return from the war without injuries or damage. Some of them will not return at all. We recently received the tragic news that one of our colleagues lost his life in the war. His wife and five children are left behind without a husband or father. In a case like this, the Foundation provides a one-off support payment of EUR 5,000 for the family of the person who was killed. Through the Foundation, we provide financial support so that employees injured or wounded in the war can benefit from treatment and rehabilitation. In cases of total or partial loss of plant employees’ property or accommodation while the city was under occupation, the Foundation offers financial support of EUR 10,000 or EUR 5,000 for restoration.
On one occasion, we were inspecting the damage to an apartment building where many of our employees used to live. Instead of the huge building, all I could see was a machine that was crushing bricks. I felt as if the entire life of the Ukrainian people had been piled into this machine, and they were being annihilated in it. Dealing with all the requests has been very difficult psychologically – but when we get feedback and sincere words of thanks for the support people receive, we understand that our own emotions are justified. People desperately need material and emotional support right now; those who cannot work at the moment do not feel forgotten and abandoned. I am grateful to all our colleagues in the huge Vetropack family for the support they are giving to our employees in Gostomel.