One day with the social coordinator of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation

The fund operates in a “one window” mode. Each veteran and family of fallen heroes is assigned a social coordinator. He advises, checks the availability of documents, and, if necessary, helps fill them out correctly. It is the social coordinator who keeps control of all requests from the moment of submission to full implementation. Today, 2,330 social coordinators work in the fund’s branches.

We asked Svetlana Guzenkova, social coordinator of the Novosibirsk branch of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, to tell us about her work.

“You come and see everything for yourself,” she suggested.

Of course, we immediately took advantage of this invitation. And the very next day we arrived at the administration of the Oktyabrsky district of Novosibirsk, where the social coordinator’s office is located.

My phone rang

Officially, the social coordinator’s working day begins at 9 am, but the fund’s employees are “on duty” almost around the clock. Their phone starts ringing as early as 7! So it was this time: early in the morning Svetlana went to the Chkalov plant, where a veteran of the Northern Military District works.

– Wonderful guy! He was mobilized, went to the Northern Military District, and was seriously wounded. I returned home, made prosthetics, and went to the factory. Very purposeful, serious. He has a good family, two children – a schoolboy and a kindergartener. Recently he was invited to a personal reception with the mayor and asked if he needed anything. It turned out to be a computer and printer for a schoolchild. He can’t be away from work often, so I went to see him myself and took copies of the documents to prepare everything as quickly as possible.

– And how often do you have to travel like this?

– It depends. Today, for example, we will go…

It took Svetlana only 20 minutes to finish answering this question. And all because the phone in her office was ringing incessantly.

– Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, I’m listening to you…

– What documents do you have? Certificate from the hospital? What is the severity of the injury? Do you live in the city? Material assistance… wait, I’ll explain now, and you’ll think, the money is not at all extra. Can you come to us yourself? Great, write down your address and opening hours.

– Hello, you haven’t called for a long time. How are your health, how are your legs? We’ll put you in the hospital soon, get some treatment. Remember about checks? I’m waiting for you this week, we’ll arrange for financial assistance.

– Hello! Yes, of course, I found out. I have an appointment for you today at 11. Are you sick? Of course, get treatment! And good health for the children. Don’t worry, your rehabilitation certificate will be waiting. Is everything ready. Okay, I’ll sign you up for Friday. Get well!

There was a pause between calls.

“So,” Svetlana, with a strong-willed movement, collects the papers prepared in advance from the table, “come with me to the second floor.” Otherwise, we will never deliver the morning documents, and everything must be completed quickly, since we promised.

We go up to the department of social support for the population of the Oktyabrsky district of Novosibirsk to the deputy head Yulia Aleksandrovna. We hand over the papers – they are in perfect order – and at the same time we pick up a rehabilitation certificate, which needs to be taken to the veteran’s home.

Road talk

It’s already 11.15.

– Why are we sitting?! We need to get ready, meeting at 12! In our work you can’t be late. Everything must be clear and on time.

We quickly get dressed, hand over the keys to the office and get into the car. There is time to talk along the way.

– Svetlana, have you been working at the branch since the very first day?

– I came here on July 4th. My husband’s friends said: Sveta, this is yours! We sent my resume, and in the end I was approved for this position. At first she worked in the main office, but quickly became a social coordinator for the Oktyabrsky district. We have a great team at our foundation! This is a rare case when everyone is in their place and does their job conscientiously.

– Is it difficult to find a common language with those who contact you?

– I am the widow of a combat veteran, military brotherhood, military friends – this is my environment. In addition, I understand that each person needs a different approach. Some people perceive being addressed solely by their first name and patronymic, others feel more relaxed (especially young guys) when you talk to them as your son’s friends. And there are those veterans who themselves say: “Pavlovna, let’s keep it simple, huh?!”

Plus, when I came to work at the foundation, I was trained at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation. The course was mainly devoted to psychology, this also helps in my work.

– You receive so many calls! How do you manage to remember everything?

– First of all, I write everything down. Each appeal is a living person with his own problems. Of course, I make notes and record appointment times. But, if you tell me the name of any veteran of the special operation in the Oktyabrsky district, I will tell you his story, what has already been done, what we are working on now.

– People call you all the time. And this is in our age of the Internet, when answers to almost all questions can be found on the Internet.

– Better let them call us! Someone somewhere heard something, read it and perceived the information in their own way. For example, the family of a deceased soldier in Kazan was given help. It turns out that this is a regional payment. Moreover, for certain groups, for example, only for large families. Therefore, it is necessary to explain to everyone in detail what support measures are available here in the Novosibirsk region.

First meeting

Today the social coordinator has his first meeting with the hero. Vladislav is 25 years old, was mobilized, was wounded, underwent several serious operations and has now returned home. The guy is disabled, and the coordinator must assess how mobile he is, what kind of help he might need.

The veteran received a regional payment. But with the pension and federal accruals, difficulties arose due to incorrectly executed documents. Svetlana immediately takes this issue into consideration. Writes down all the details, clarifies the details and draws up an action plan: calling the military registration and enlistment office, working with a lawyer. At the same time, he tells Vladislav about what support measures and payments he is entitled to. At first the fighter refuses to accept help. But gradually, during the conversation, he agrees that support will indeed not be superfluous: the registration of financial assistance, the opportunity to obtain a plot of land, and retraining with subsequent employment. Now Svetlana is waiting for him at the fund’s branch to register all the required social benefits.

It seems like we just arrived, but a whole hour has already passed! You need to go further to deliver the rehabilitation certificate to the veteran’s home.

They are already waiting for us here. The gate is open, we enter a cozy and warm house, where we are greeted by a hospitable owner. Igor Golub has had part of his right leg amputated and is currently undergoing medical rehabilitation.

– I just returned recently. I went to try on a prosthesis. I just have to wait a little longer and I’ll be able to walk without crutches.

Svetlana hands him a certificate, once again reminding him what benefits it provides. Here you can find sports, sanatorium-resort treatment, education, cultural events, and dental prosthetics, which is so important for the majority of those returning from the Northern Military District zone.

“Now I’ll finish with my legs and take care of my teeth, and then I’ll be able to go to the theaters,” the veteran smiles.

The work of the foundation is the right thing!

We drive back and are increasingly amazed at how this fragile, charming woman can withstand emotional and psychological stress that not every man can handle. Where does he get the strength to care for every veteran, every member of the family of fallen heroes.

– How many people on average come to you every day?

– Differently. Sometimes there are one or two, sometimes there are seven visitors. But, of course, they call more. You saw it yourself.

– Tell me, please, how do you manage to do everything in such a short working day? It is important not only to talk and accept the request, but also to fulfill it.

– I don’t work alone, I have a whole team with me – lawyers, psychologists. Plus I already know a lot of things, so some problems can be solved faster.

We are returning to the administration. It’s already 14.30.

“Svetlana Pavlovna, you have a visitor,” the security service reports.

There is a man sitting at the office; he had an appointment with another specialist, but did not want to go alone. I was waiting for my social coordinator to return. Svetlana immediately calls and adjusts the time for receiving and issuing documents to the veteran. He writes everything down in detail on a piece of paper and promises to go with him. Apparently, this situation is not new to her. Indeed, it happens that in a war zone a person was brave and strong, but upon returning he becomes lost and stumbles over bureaucratic issues. This is why the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation works, lending a helping hand to every special operation veteran.

“No lunch today,” Svetlana laughs. – We drove for our allotted hour. No problem, let’s have some coffee and chocolate!

We drink coffee. More precisely, Svetlana tries to do this in short intervals, because the phone in her office is ringing again. At the same time, she collects documents, finds the necessary information, calls the veteran, and advises on the issues of applying for housing benefits. He manages to call the clinic, deciding on the issue of admitting the children of a deceased soldier. Clarifies a number of issues in the pension fund…

And all this is easy, kindly, with soul. She greets every call with a smile, as if it were from an old friend.

-Aren’t you tired? Maintain such a rhythm, let so many other people’s questions pass through yourself…

– I’m tired, of course. I’m a living person. But our foundation is doing a very necessary and important job. And in the evening, looking back at the past day, assessing what happened and how it happened, I see how many people I managed to help today, how many issues were resolved. And I want to go to work right away!

Photo from the personal archive of S. Guzenkova