The Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” will soon begin renovation work in Collective Centers (CCs) for displaced persons in Zaporizhzhia. Oksana Levada, the Foundation’s regional coordinator in the Zaporizka Oblast, explains that three CCs have been selected to replace windows, repair sanitary facilities, and refurbish rooms to make them accessible to all.
According to Serhiy Kushnir, the Vice-Rector of Educational and Industrial Work and Material and Technical Support at Zaporizhzhia National University, five Collective Centers were established in student dormitories following the full-scale invasion. This year, living conditions in some of these centers will be improved.
“Your Foundation has previously assisted people temporarily residing in our facilities. However, this year, your initiative is critically needed. We are currently preparing to renovate the CC at 10 Parkhomenka Street, which houses around 100 people. These are mostly women and elderly people, but there are also 13 children and 9 people with disabilities. They have come to us from Mariupol, Huliaipole, and other currently occupied settlements in Zaporizka Oblast,” says Serhiy Kushnir.
He also adds that due to the difficult situation in certain frontline sectors, more people continue to arrive. However, the majority of displaced persons have been living in CCs since the first months of the full-scale invasion — such as Svitlana, who arrived here with her family from the city of Polohy in Zaporizka Oblast. The woman lived under shelling for over four months until she and her family were able to evacuate barely in time.
“Our hometown is 100 kilometers from Zaporizhzhia, and it’s occupied. I didn’t want to stay there. Thanks to a religious community, we managed to escape that nightmare. We’ve been living in a CC for three years now. I recently learned that your Foundation will install a shower on the fourth floor and renovate two bathrooms. This help is invaluable for the elderly,” shares Svitlana.
Svitlana explains that there is currently only one shower in the five-story building, located in the basement. For people with disabilities and the elderly, it is very difficult to reach it without assistance.
“Going up and down the stairs several times a day is a real challenge for some. We all hope that this problem will soon be resolved, and it will be much more comfortable for all of us to live here,” emphasizes Svitlana.
This article was prepared as part of the Provision of Lifesaving Winterization, NFI, and Shelter Support to Conflict Affected Populations in Ukraine project, implemented by the Charitable Organization “Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in cooperation with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with the support of NACHBAR IN NOT.