We continue to repair the homes of Kherson residents affected by the war. This has been made possible through the Providing Multi-Sectoral Humanitarian Assistance to Conflict-Affected Populations in Ukraine project. The main goal of these repairs is to prepare Kherson residents for winter and improve the insulation of their homes.
One of those who has already had her home repaired is Olha (name changed for safety reasons) and her husband. The family lives in a high-rise building where Olha is the head of the homeowners’ association (OSBB). Their building was shelled twice by Russian forces. The second time, an aerial bomb landed in the courtyard. As a result, one of the entrances was destroyed, windows and doors were shattered, and the heating system was broken. Olha only survived because she was out walking her two dogs at the time.
“The kitchen suffered the most damage: the window was blown out, and all the appliances, dishes, and furniture were ruined — everything had to be thrown away. From my apartment, you could see the sky through the roof. Our heating didn’t work, so we spent two winters without central heating and with a window boarded up with plywood,” Olha recounts.
The family stayed in the city throughout the occupation, but after this incident, their son moved them to another region, where Olha took on a leadership role at one of the local IDP Councils. Even in her new role, she couldn’t abandon her Kherson neighbors, so she returns home for ten days every month to help everyone. Our conversation also took place during one of these visits to Kherson: Olha was receiving and distributing humanitarian aid to her neighbors, cooking meals for them, and visiting them in the hospital.
Olha constantly cares for the residents of her building and looks after their well-being. When we asked her about the repairs, she spoke not only of the work done in her own home but also in other apartments.
“I couldn’t leave my neighbors alone, especially since they are elderly and need support. I promised I wouldn’t abandon them. When I’m not in Kherson, I feel uneasy,” Olha says. “I am very grateful for the repairs. When I learned about this project and its possibilities, I immediately informed my neighbors. I registered those who had all the necessary documents. In our building, 22 apartments have already been repaired, but I would really like to help five more families. Everything was done with quality — they plastered, painted, cleaned up after themselves, and even washed the floors.”
The repairs to Olha’s home and her neighbors’ homes were carried out as part of the Providing Multi-Sectoral Humanitarian Assistance to Conflict-Affected Populations in Ukraine project, implemented by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” in collaboration with the humanitarian organization CARE Ukraine and the Ukraine Response Consortium, with financial support from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).