STRASBOURG, France, January 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

This week during the first plenary session of 2019 for the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is organising an original photograph exhibition entitled "Donbass and Civilians".

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Charles Tannock MEP hosted the exhibition to enable parliamentary colleagues understand the visual impact of the war in the East of Ukraine on the daily life of civilians caught up in the crossfire of the conflict.

"The main goal of the exhibition is to draw attention to the tragedy of Donbass, and the excellent work of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation," said Mr Tannock. "The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation began delivering aid 5 years ago and continues to do so today. More than a million people have been saved from the beginning of the conflict in 2014. Over 12 million food packages have been delivered to more than 750 cities and villages in the East of Ukraine. Thanks to these packages people who live along the contact line survive."

The conflict is not uppermost in the minds of those dealing with international foreign policy But the residents of Donbass still need humanitarian assistance. 6.5 million people, have had their peaceful lives disrupted by the war; their way of life shattered, families torn apart, homes destroyed, friends and relatives killed and injured.

The Exhibition presents a series of black-and-white collages from the photograph album "Donbass and Civilians", colour photographs of the destroyed houses and their inhabitants, and video commentaries by the children who have seen the effects of war with their own eyes.

"In today's situation, the only hope that comes to their lives is through empathy, understanding and vital humanitarian assistance. Rinat Akhmetov, a native of Donbass, acutely feels the suffering of his compatriots. From the first days of the war, he has understood their plight, empathised with them and offered a helping hand. In 2014, under the auspices of the Foundation, he created the largest humanitarian aid programme in Ukraine - the Humanitarian Center. More than a million people have been saved from the beginning of the conflict in 2014. According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 85% of the region's inhabitants would not have survived without his help. Almost 57% of Ukrainians surveyed are convinced that the work of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation prevented a humanitarian catastrophe in Donbass," said Natalia Yemchenko, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

This Release has been made on behalf of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, by The International Foundation for Better Governance  

www.better-governance.org

SOURCE Rinat Akhmetov Foundation