Social taxi for people with disabilities to be launched in Zaporizhzhia

A collaborative project between a local NGO and municipal institutions has received financial assistance from the Kusanone Grant Programme.

March 6 marked an important event for Zaporizhzhia: the signing of a grant agreement to assist socially vulnerable people in our city. Thanks to the Government of Japan and its Kusanone programme, the NGO “Strategies and Technologies of Effective Partnership” (referred to as “STEP”) will purchase a minibus tailored for people with disabilities and rehabilitation cabins. The vehicle and equipment are intended for special education facilities, known as Inclusive Resource Centers.

This project is a product of the collaborative work of the NGO “STEP,” which administers and supervises all activities, the Department of Education and its network of inclusive resource centers that advocated for the project’s necessity. Additionally, the City Development Institute of Zaporizhzhia facilitated cooperation between partners from the municipal and NGO sectors.

The Kusanone Programme is one of the types of Official Development Assistance provided by the Government of Japan for developing countries worldwide. This scheme is designed to meet the needs of local communities, particularly in healthcare, education, public welfare, and the environment. It aims to improve the well-being of people directly and promptly. The programme’s name, Kusanone, is actually a Japanese word meaning “generous help.”

The grant assistance provides an opportunity for the most vulnerable people in Zaporizhzhia to receive social and other public services and engage in the common life of the city. Moreover, new rehabilitation equipment will help to expand the range of services provided in municipal Inclusive Resource Centers.

We would like to thank the Government of Japan and the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine for their generous help and concern for our city.