FUNDRAISER
Offer a Ukrainian physiotherapist the opportunity to learn in Switzerland
Ukraine’s rehabilitation system is stretched to its limits. Millions have been affected by war, and the country faces a severe shortage of specialists trained in modern physical, neurological, and developmental rehabilitation. At the same time, Switzerland is home to some of the world’s most advanced pediatric and neurorehabilitation centers.
Rehab Bridge connects these two realities.
We bring experienced Ukrainian rehabilitation professionals to Switzerland for short, intensive learning stays where they can observe leading clinical teams, understand multidisciplinary care models, and experience high-quality rehabilitation environments first-hand. When they return home, they apply this knowledge immediately in their own clinical settings and share it with colleagues, universities, and regional networks.
This creates a sustainable “knowledge loop”, where expertise circulates, grows, and ultimately raises the standard of care across Ukraine.
One Rehab Bridge shadowing stay costs between CHF 1,500–2,000; we have successfully funded our first participant and are now raising support for the next dedicated professionals — stay tuned to meet them!
Bank details
Zuerich hilft der Ukraine ZhdU
comment: "Rehab Bridge"
IBAN: CH75 0070 0114 8067 5394 5
BIC: ZKBKCHZZ80A
How the Program Works
Each Rehab Bridge stay lasts one to two weeks and takes place in a Swiss rehabilitation center selected for its excellence and relevance to the participant’s expertise.
The model is simple: learn in Switzerland, apply in Ukraine, and cascade the impact further through teaching, supervision, and guideline development.
The project is designed for English-speaking physiotherapists and occupational therapists who are already working with complex patient groups. Selection is done in collaboration with Ukrainian institutions and rehabilitation experts, ensuring that the professionals who travel are those best placed to make a lasting difference at home.
Meet our previous participant
Spotlight: Oksana Baran
Planned visit: September 2026 – UKBB (Basel)
Meet Oksana and learn how to make a difference in the Ukrainian rehabilitation system.
Oksana Baran is a physiotherapist working in pediatric rehabilitation at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lviv. In September 2026, she will participate in a week-long study visit at the University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB), the host institution for the second edition of Rehab Bridge. Oksana transitioned to pediatric care after the large-scale invasion fundamentally altered the medical landscape around her. Prior to 2022, her work focused primarily on adults. As increasing numbers of children arrived with war-related injuries, trauma, and complex early rehabilitation needs, she made a conscious decision to move into pediatrics, recognizing that timely intervention can be crucial for a child's future.
Today, Oksana works with children in the acute and early rehabilitation phases, including patients with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, burns, and post-operative conditions. Many of them come from frontline areas. Her work often begins at the most challenging stage, when a child's condition is still very fragile and initial decisions can influence the entire recovery process. For Oksana, pediatric rehabilitation is a matter of timing: early intervention impacts not only physical recovery but also the child's development, independence, and quality of life in the years to come.
Nazar, one of Oksana's patients recovering from brain tumor surgery, demonstrates the importance of starting rehabilitation as early as possible. His rehabilitation began while he was still in intensive care, following a long and challenging postoperative period. Step by step, he relearned things most of us barely think about: how to swallow, sit, move, and participate in daily life again. For Oksana, his case illustrates how significantly early rehabilitation can impact a child's recovery, especially when it involves close teamwork and strong family involvement and support from the outset.
Oksana is also aware of the larger challenges in Ukraine. In her view, one of the biggest gaps in pediatric rehabilitation is the lack of specialized training for physiotherapists working with children, particularly in acute and intensive care units. Many of the most complex cases still require stronger structures, more targeted expertise, and better integration of education and clinical practice.
Her research stay at the University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB), the host institution for the second edition of Rehab Bridge, will give her the opportunity to observe specialized pediatric rehabilitation in practice and return with knowledge that she can apply in her daily work. This is why she applied for Rehab Bridge.
Invest in the future
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Oksana’s study visit creates opportunities for progress on many levels: for her as a specialist, for the young patients she treats, and for the development of paediatric physiotherapy in Ukraine. By funding her study visit in Summer 2026, you help new knowledge return with her to daily clinical work, to children’s recovery, and to other professionals through teaching and mentoring.
Become part of this change!
Building a Community of Rehabilitation Excellence
Rehab Bridge brings together Swiss and Ukrainian institutions and experts committed to strengthening rehabilitation in Ukraine. This collaboration has been built with key contributions from Florence Messerli (ZHAW), whose work is instrumental in establishing our partnerships.
Support us with a donation
Bank details for transfers from Switzerland and abroad:
Recipient: Zuerich hilft der Ukraine ZhdU
Name of the Bank: Zürcher Kantonalbank Prime Tower, Hardstrasse 201, 8005 Zürich
IBAN: CH75 0070 0114 8067 5394 5
BIC: ZKBKCHZZ80A
Purpose of transfer: Rehab Bridge