To prepare Ukrainians for the upcoming winter, we are persisting in performing repairs of light and medium complexity, especially on homes damaged due to Russian aggression. Under the CARE Ukraine Winterisation and Resilience Program project, we’ve completed 168 housing repairs in Izium, Kharkivska Oblast, and another 168 in Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, through this project, we’re enhancing living conditions in dormitories of educational institutions, which now serve as shelters for those forced to abandon their homes.
In Zaporizhzhia, we’ve replaced windows at the Zaporizhzhia Specialized Boarding School “Sichovyi Kolehium,” currently housing 70 internally displaced individuals, as well as in dormitory #3 of the Zaporizhzhia National University and dormitory #5 of the Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University. These two dormitories are now the largest Collective Centers for IDPs in Zaporizhzhia. “All these places had old wooden windows. In one of the dormitories, they were even shattered by a blast wave from a nearby missile strike at the railway station,” commented Oksana Levada, regional coordinator of the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” (CF SSS) in Zaporizka Oblast. “By replacing these windows, we’ve managed to insulate these Collective Centers better.”
In Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovska Oblast, we’ve renovated two Collective Centers. “One of them is located in the building of a former community center, which is how housing elderly individuals who require care,” shared Nadiya Aleksandrova, regional coordinator of the CF SSS in Dnipropetrovska Oblast. “Under this project, we renovated a room used for food storage and dishwashing. It was in a terrible state: rusty pipes, crumbling wallpaper, and clogged drains. Now, as a result of the renovation, we’ve replaced sinks, tiles, and the ceiling.
The second Collective Center is in a former kindergarten building. This transitional Collective Center for people fleeing from dangerous regions has seen around 60,000 individuals since the war’s outset. Some merely pass through, but others opt for permanent residency. Currently, 50 people reside here, with the majority being mothers with young children since there’s a designated day-stay room for toddlers. The renovation greatly enhanced their living conditions. We refurbished the floor, putting in a new screed and replacing the old linoleum, which was in poor shape due to the high foot traffic. Little children often ran barefoot and tripped over the old, torn linoleum. We also replaced the entrance door and the door to the children’s playroom. Thanks to the renovation, the temperature in this Collective Center is now several degrees warmer than last year.”
We are also enhancing living conditions at the Collective Centers for IDPs in Kharkiv. “We’ve completed the renovation of dormitory #3 of the Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy, which became a Collective Center with the onset of the full-scale invasion,” notes Kostiantyn Lyhanenko, regional coordinator of the CF SSS in Kharkivska Oblast. “It houses 120 individuals, five of whom have reduced mobility. In this facility, we’ve insulated balconies and main entrances and installed seats and handrails for people with reduced mobility in the showers. Moreover, we are currently finalizing the renovation of dormitory #2 of the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, which also shelters IDPs. There, we’re refurbishing four restrooms.”
The project CARE Ukraine Winterisation and Resilience Program is being implemented by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” with the support of the humanitarian organization CARE.Ukraine.