Three years, two partner nations, one mission

Photo By Master Sgt. Charles Larkin Sr | Col. John Mitchell, U.S. European Command surgeon general, receives a ceremonial gift of bread during the start of a ceremony at School #16 April 27, 2015. The school received office furniture, such as desks, tables and chairs donated by U.S. Department of Defense, European Command (EUCOM) in cooperation with the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Ukraine. The property transfer coordination began in 2012 at EUCOM to provide infrastructure improvement for the school, which is attended by nearly 1,200 students. (U.S. European Command photo by Master Sgt. Charles D. Larkin Sr./RELEASED)  

VINNYTSIA, UKRAINE

04.27.2015

Story by Master Sgt. Charles Larkin Sr 

U.S. European Command   

VINNYTSIA, Ukraine - Three years ago, the U.S. European Command consolidated military installations located throughout Europe. As installations closed and buildings were emptied, office furniture, computers, beds, and other furniture and equipment piled up in U.S.-owned warehouses in Italy.

Thanks to the efforts of EUCOM civil engineers, some of those items were recently given new homes in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Personnel from the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine, EUCOM officials, and members of local Ukrainian government and non-government organizations gathered at the brand-new Vinnytsia Community Education Center for an inauguration ceremony.

The project began in 2012 as a request from a local non-government organization. They wanted a resource center in their area to provide education, training and protection to socially-vulnerable individuals, all as part of an effort to prevent human trafficking.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation - often referred to as a modern-day form of slavery - is a multi-billion dollar criminal activity in Ukraine. Trafficking of women and children for this type of exploitation is a serious problem affecting hundreds of thousands of victims and their families.

The Vinnytsia Community Education Center was previously an unoccupied building, but got totally renovated through cooperative efforts by EUCOM’s logistics directorate with the Office of Defense Cooperation, United States Agency for International Development and local government and non-government agencies in Ukraine. Prior to the renovation, community education and social support activities were conducted at temporary sites in rented facilities. Sometimes, classes were even conducted in the homes of volunteers.

This project is just one of many involving U.S. and Ukrainian partnerships. To date, the United States and Ukraine agencies have completed 35 humanitarian assistance projects in Ukraine over the past 13 years and plan use these recent successful events as the framework for future projects.

“We have a longstanding relationship here. Ukraine is going through a moment of unique testing, and we are standing by the Ukrainian people jointly with our European partners, helping the Ukrainian people to choose their own future,” Mr. Geoffrey Pyatt, U.S ambassador to Ukraine, said during the inauguration ceremony.

The USEUCOM logistics directorate also coordinated transfer and delivery of some of the humanitarian assistance property to a local school in Vinnytsia. The Vinnytsia Inclusive Education School #16 provides education opportunities to more than 1,000 students with 23 currently disabled children. The students range in age from 6 to 16 years old and the population continues to grow each year.

School #16 is expecting nearly a 20 percent increase in student population by 2016 due to the displacement of families from Eastern Ukraine. EUCOM is planning to support another humanitarian assistance project scheduled to begin in the next 18 months at the school, which will include renovations and building infrastructure improvements.

“Ukraine is a partner nation of the United States of America and, as such, U.S. European Command directly supports their sovereignty, which is being challenged by Russian aggression and the illegal occupation of Crimea,” said U.S. Army Maj. Wendy Zaborowski, USEUCOM Civil Affairs. “Through Defense Security Cooperation programs, like Humanitarian Assistance renovations and Excess Property donations, we are able to partner with the Ukraine government to improve basic living conditions of its citizens that are susceptible to Russian aggression, thus providing support for enduring stability in the future of Ukraine.”

• Date Taken: 04.27.2015
• Date Posted: 05.01.2015 11:21
• Story ID: 161935
• Location: VINNYTSIA, UA