After the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, CO CF SSS and its partners deployed rapid assistance to the affected population. This became possible thanks to the project Lifesaving and Gender-Sensitive Shelter and Protection Assistance for Conflict-Affected Populations in Dnipropetrovska Oblast in Eastern Ukraine As Well As Rapid Emergency Support to Affected Population in Khersonska Oblast in Southern Ukraine (Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam). This project was important for our team and allowed us to meet the urgent basic needs of the residents of the flooded areas of Khersonska and Mykolaivska oblasts.
Thus, during the project, we helped more than 2100 beneficiaries who received:
- 200 non-food item kits;
- 400 bedding kits (mattress, blanket, 2 pillows);
- 400 kits with thermal underwear for children from 5 to 17 years old and adults;
- 383 hygiene kits.
The project implementation was complicated by the difficult working conditions for our team. For example, in Kherson, we had to postpone the distribution several times due to constant shelling, black ice, snowfall, and blocked roads. The shelling also damaged the warehouse of the Humanitarian Hub, where we stored our aid. To replace the destroyed kits, we re-purchased, delivered, and assembled new ones and distributed them to all Kherson residents waiting for them.
“During the project implementation, we faced numerous challenges, but thanks to the team’s determination and professionalism, all difficulties were overcome, and assistance was successfully provided to the population,” says Yana Voloshyna, project manager. “The project was not only a source of support but also a real symbol of joint effective interaction in difficult times, strengthening social cohesion in the region.”
Our team was able to overcome the challenges more easily, thanks to the positive feedback from those we helped. For example, Viktoriya, who lives with her large family in a partially destroyed high-rise building in Kherson, received a non-food item kit from us.
“We really needed everything that was in the humanitarian aid kit. Before the war, we decided to make repairs and took our belongings to the summer house on the left bank to avoid any disturbances. So we were left without blankets, dishes, anything. Now we have nothing at home, and everything at the summer house has most likely already burned to ashes,” says Viktoriya. “We were especially happy about the gas stove because we are constantly hiding from shelling in the basement, and now we can at least heat water or cook for our child.”
The Lifesaving and Gender-Sensitive Shelter and Protection Assistance for Conflict-Affected Populations in Dnipropetrovska Oblast in Eastern Ukraine As Well as Rapid Emergency Support to Affected Population in Khersonska Oblast in Southern Ukraine (Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam) project implemented by the CO CF SSS in collaboration with the international humanitarian organization CARE, funded by the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
