Author: Олександр Роберт Пришляк

Lviv, Ukraine, April 14, 2023 – Superhumans Center, a national world-class medical center that ensures specialized care for all Ukrainians wounded by war, opens its doors today. Superhumans will provide prosthetics, rehabilitation, PTSD treatment and eventually reconstructive surgery free of charge. The Center is located on the campus of the Regional Veterans Hospital, but is independently managed. First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and Ukraine’s Minister of Health Victor Liashko are Superhumans board members. 

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian entrepreneurs Andrey Stavnitser and Philipp Grushko took their logistical know-how and built humanitarian distribution centers in Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Several months into the war, Stavnitser and team were appalled as more Ukrainian soldiers returned from the frontlines without limbs. Ukraine’s medical community had little experience with complicated amputations or prosthetics and with the precipitous decline in the economy, the state faces real limits in supporting victims of war. 

More than 10,000 Ukrainians need prosthetics, and the WHO estimates that one in four Ukrainians will have mental health problems after the war ends. 

Olga Rudnieva, a well-known non-profit leader in Ukraine, serves as CEO of Superhumans. Dr. Andriy Vilenskiy, a pediatrician, former head of private clinics and the National Health Service, is Superhumans’ medical director. 

As a non-profit, Superhumans is driven by support from donors and charities. Most significantly, Superhumans received $16.3 million in funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to underwrite all construction and equipment costs for the Superhumans Center. The Buffett Foundation also provided $1 million to cover the cost of prosthetics for the center’s first patients. 

Today, Superhumans Center opened the first wing of the medical center which includes the prosthetics lab and rehabilitation center. The second stage, which includes the reconstructive surgery department and sleeping quarters for visiting international doctors, will open by the end of 2023.    

Superhumans Center is committed to a comprehensive approach to care and to changing the perception and psychology of Ukrainians with limb loss. Prostheses will be manufactured and assembled in the Center. The laboratory has been built and equipped with support from the leading German company Ottobock. The rehabilitation department has a large swimming pool as well as facilities for physical therapy.

“The bravest soldiers on the planet, Ukrainian defenders, should know that they will be taken care of back at home. This is my personal duty, my way to thank those who will get our victory. Soldiers and civilians, who have given their health for the sake of Ukraine’s freedom, will receive the latest technologies, best global medical expertise, and an individual approach at Superhumans – everything they need to get back to their active lives. We have already traveled around the world to bring all of that into one place, in Ukraine, and we will keep doing that,” said Superhumans co-founder Andrey Stavnitser.  

At the opening ceremony, First Lady Olena Zelenska and American philanthropist Howard G. Buffett pointed out the importance of the project. 

«Superhumans is not just a name of the project. I think that’s a new social agreement put in one word. A philosophy, worth not only a clinic, but a whole country. Superheroes instead of victims. Superpowers instead of disabilities. We want to build not just a clinic, but a super-country for Ukrainians. Because all of them are superhumans”, – said Olena Zelenska. 

“We are honored to be a part of this extraordinary effort to bring world-class care to Ukrainians who have suffered life-altering injuries from this war – they are truly “superhumans,” said Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. “Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a war on civilians, and many men, women, and children will lose their lives—or their limbs—even long after the war ends due to the pervasive presence of landmines. This Center is a step towards giving Ukrainians a chance to rebuild their lives and their country. We must also do everything possible to end this war and the daily devastation it creates for all Ukrainians.” 

Sir Richard Branson recently visited the center ahead of its opening. He said, “The Superhumans Centre is a truly remarkable place, and it will change the lives of thousands of Ukrainians, restoring quality of life to the injured.

“During my visit to the center, I had the wonderful privilege of meeting two of the people who have been wounded on the frontline. Their courage, positive spirit, and continued commitment to the people of Ukraine is awe-inspiring.

“We are honored to support Superhumans and their mission to give these extraordinary people the help they need to live the life they deserve.”

Even before being fully launched, Superhumans has already started to set prosthetics for military personnel and civilians. Two soldiers received bionic Hero Arms from an exclusive partner of Superhumans, British manufacturer Open Bionics. Six more patients, veterans and civilians, came back from Germany in April, where they received leg prostheses and rehabilitation at Ottobock headquarters.   

Superhumans Center plans to expand to five regions of Ukraine to bring care closer to patients. A National Education Center will be launched this fall to address shortages in Ukraine’s healthcare system.  

Superhumans Center is supported by global and Ukrainian celebrities and companies. Ambassadors of the project include: Sting, Trudie Styler, Bear Grylls, Natalie Jaresko, Richard Branson’s Foundation CEO Jean Oelwang, Masi Nayem, Andriy Danylko, Yegor Gordeev, and MONATIK. 

Companies supporting Superhumans include Mastercard, Freedom Finance, Payoneer, Cargill, Crown Agents, SD Capital, Loro Piana, SoftServe, and PrivatBank. 

We are honoured to announce that the globally renowned adventurer and television presenter Bear Grylls is joining the Superhumans Ambassador team.

In the autumn of last year, Bear Grylls visited Ukraine to film a very special and exclusive documentary about our lives during the war. At that time, we were experiencing constant attacks on energy infrastructure and almost daily blackouts. Bear conducted a personal interview with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The film about Ukraine was presented yesterday, and this is an incredibly important show of support for us, as millions of viewers around the world watch Bear’s work.

We will also be exploring opportunities with BecomingX, the learning and development company Bear co-founded to support our educational goals and showcase how injured veterans and civilians can realise their potential and live fulfilling lives.

In addition to being an incredibly talented individual and a true master of his craft, Bear Grylls is also a person with a big heart. His genuine admiration for the Superhumans, his desire to help everyone, and his belief that Superhumans rehabilitation centres will soon open across the country are both captivating and inspiring!

Bear, the whole Superhumans community, and our team is sincerely grateful for your support and faith in us!

CNN has been interested in how Superhumans is progressing since day 1 we announced the project. We are sincerely grateful to Zain Asher for being deeply involved into what’s going on in Ukraine and keeping us in focus. In March Andrey Stavnitser, Superhumans co-founder, talked to One World with Zain Asher to share the news on how we set the bionic arms to soldiers before even being fully operational.

Kyiv, February 13^th, 2023 — Two Ukrainian defenders who had their arms amputated  after landmine-explosive injuries will be fitted with Hero Arms, state-of-the-art bionic upper limb protheses, made by the leading British technology manufacturer Open Bionics. This was made possible thanks to the support of Mastercard – as the first step opening a strategic partnership with Superhumans. Three Ukrainian prosthetists have also received special training organized by the partners based on Open Bionics.

Hero Arms are custom-made, so there are some measurements and testing required before fitting the protheses. To undergo these procedures, the militaries went to Munich, along with engineers, as well as the Superhumans and Open Bionics teams. Later, when the Superhumans clinic in the city of Lviv (Ukraine) fully opens, all stages of the prosthetics will be performed in Ukraine.

Ukrainian defenders Andrii Gidzun (30-year-old) and Vitalii Ivashchuk (24-year-old) are the first Ukrainian patients to receive high-tech bionic protheses from Open Bionics. Both were wounded and received mine blast injuries to their hands, which caused limbs amputation. Andrii was hospitalized in April 2022, Vitalii – in June.

In Munich, Andrii and Vitalii had the opportunity to test bionic protheses, to hold a glass of water, a pencil, and a small ball for the first time in months. It is difficult to convey the emotions of this moment in words. Both soldiers admitted that Hero Arms are easy to use, the principle of operation of the bionic prosthesis is clear and muscle memory takes over controlling the hand in a matter of minutes. The men will have their personal protheses ready within a few weeks.

Superhumans and Open Bionics collaborate for the first time but expect this partnership to be long-lasting. According to Joel Gibbart, founder and CEO of Open Bionics, his company’s philosophy is to make high technology accessible to a wide range of people on a long-term basis. “Our first patients from Ukraine will receive protheses, which we call “hands of heroes”. Therefore, this type is ideal for them,” says Joel.

Hero Arms are bionic prostheses of the upper limbs, known worldwide for their high functionality and bright design. The manufacturer of these protheses, Open Bionics, has an exclusive arrangement with Marvell comic book authors and provides protheses with heroic designs. The lightweight and versatile prothesis features a suite of light, sound and vibration signals to provide the users with feedback on the state of their bionic arm. Open Bionics opened an era of superpowers in the world of prosthetics. Thanks to an exclusive partnership with Superhumans and  the financial support of Mastercard, this era has become available to Ukrainians with major limb injuries resulted by the war. 

“Providing Ukrainians with super-technological opportunities for their lives – is the mission we are driven by while collaborating with Superhumans. Innovative and high-quality services are now important in all areas of life, and we are convinced that Ukrainians deserve the best of the modern technologies,” says Inga Andreieva, General Manager of Mastercard in Ukraine and Moldova. 

“The Superhumans team is dynamically moving in several directions: we are building a hospital and prosthetics laboratory, we are training specialists, also looking for the best technologies and expertise worldwide, and already are starting the first prosthetics. By the time the clinic opens, we plan to have the best team of trained medical specialists in place, as well as the formed queue of patients who need prosthetics and rehabilitation services,” sums up the CEO of the Superhumans Olga Rudnieva.

Superhumans is a modern prosthetics, reconstruction, and rehabilitation clinic that will soon open in Lviv. Currently, the hospital is completing the equipment of the medical buildings. The project has been initiated by Ukrainian businessman Andrii Stavnitser.

Superhumans services will be free of charge for war victims, the hospital is funded by donors and partners.

Two weeks ago our Superhumans super-ambassadors visited Ukraine to feel the spirit and visit the hospital, where the Clinic is gonna work.

We showed Liev Shreiber, Jean Oelwang, Peter Costantino, Mick Ebeling and other respected guests the torn Bucha, Hostomel and Borodyanka, looked at the destroyed “Mriya” and talked to the refugees. Next day, together with the First Lady of Ukraine, we had a chance to meet patients of the Hospital in Lviv region and get to hear their needs.

Superhumans will become fully operable in the first half of 2023

The Superhumans Center, which provides free services for prosthetics, rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery, and psychological support to those injured in the war in Ukraine, has received political risk insurance from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) totaling $25 million. 

DFC’s political risk insurance will provide private donors with confidence in the safety of their contributions. Superhumans is a nonprofit organization without state funding, and all clinic services are completely free for patients. The trust of a powerful partner, the U.S. government agency, will enable Superhumans to expand and assist more Ukrainians.

DFC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Scott Nathan said, “DFC is meeting a critical need for Ukraine through our political risk insurance work. Together with the private sector, we are building investor confidence where it’s needed most and mobilizing the capital required to strengthen Ukraine’s economy today and into the future. I’m proud that DFC is providing this vital support for the Superhumans Center – an organization that cares for the wounded and demonstrates the resilience and strength of the Ukrainian people amid this devastating war.”

Philipp Grushko, co-founder of Superhumans, expressed his pride in receiving DFC political risk insurance. “The center has been operating since April 2023 and is soon opening a reconstructive surgery department. For our partners, donors, and patients, this is a significant event that demonstrates the possibility of securing investments in war-torn Ukraine and investing in its recovery without waiting for the end of the conflict. We are proud to be a part of such an important initiative in Ukraine with such a reliable partner,” he said.

Political risk insurance from a strong American partner is a critically important market signal, indicating that investors and donors have reason to trust Ukrainian civil society organizations and businesses. DFC is one of the few organizations with the unique resources to provide political risk insurance to Ukrainian enterprises and charitable organizations during times of war.  In addition to political risk insurance, DFC also offers debt financing, equity investments, and technical assistance. The U.S. government agency’s total portfolio in Ukraine stands at over $1 billion.

“This decision by DFC provides support to both international and Ukrainian investors, demonstrating that implementing projects in Ukraine is not only possible but also supported,” commented Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine. “It is extremely important that Superhumans receives this insurance. This center is of great importance, as it is where Ukrainians restore their physical and psychological health,” she concluded.

Superhumans Center is a modern clinic providing prosthetics, rehabilitation, reconstructive surgery, and psychological support for military and civilian war victims in Ukraine. Superhumans is a nonprofit enterprise, and all clinic services are free for patients.

The center is financed by donors and partners. The first Superhumans Center was opened near Lviv, Ukraine, in April 2023, with plans to expand to other regions of Ukraine in the near future. The project was initiated by Ukrainian businessman Andrey Stavnitser. www.superhumans.comThe U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is the U.S. Government’s development finance institution. DFC partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. DFC invests across sectors including energy, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, and small business and financial services. DFC investments adhere to high standards and respect the environment, human rights, and worker rights. www.dfc.gov

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