We report on the results of the Humanitarian Assistance to Besieged Cities and IDP-Hosting Locations Inside Ukraine project, implemented by the team of CF SSS in Zaporizka and Mykolaivksa oblasts with the support of the humanitarian organization CARE.Ukraine.
Anna Borysova, the Director of Humanitarian Programs at the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services”, shares more about the project.
This was one of the first projects where we carried out medium and light repairs for households and supported Collective Centers (CCs) for displaced persons. For the first time, we developed effective mechanisms for cooperating with contractors and individuals whose housing was damaged.
For us, it is essential not to deprive people of the opportunity to influence the repairs, as this involves their homes, and their lives. We are genuinely proud to have created a tripartite agreement that ensures cooperation among all parties.
Another new experience for us was the voucher approach to supporting Collective Centers. In March, it was not yet a common practice, so together with the home improvement hypermarket chain Epicentr K, we step-by-step refined the mechanism for how Collective Centers could order everything they need using vouchers paid by the Foundation.
Working with people is not just about making measurements and performing repairs. It’s also about people’s stories and pain that need to be heard and supported. This is a new crucial skill for our team. Perhaps this is what we are most proud of because our projects are not about activities. They are about people, their pain, support, and the opportunity to show that they are not alone with their problems; there are those ready to help to the best of their ability.
In Zaporizhia, there is a family: a retired elderly woman, a mother who teaches bead weaving, and a teenage daughter who is professionally involved in karate. Their windows were damaged by a missile strike that occurred near their home. For a long time, they had plywood boards instead of windows. They initially did not want to participate in the program, recognizing that others had it worse, and their conscience did not allow them to ask for help. When the students came, they learned to weave under the light of a headlamp. The family is thankful that coordinator Oksana Levada convinced them to join, and now they have proper windows and lighting. On their own, they would have had to save up for this window for years. In gratitude, they gave our partners bracelets made by children.
The scale of destruction in Ukraine is immense, and every home repaired before the cold sets in can mean the health and comfort of someone’s family.
Our statistics for the Mykolaivska Oblast:
Halytsynivska community — 66 repairs completed;
Mishkovo-Pohorilivska community — 27 repairs completed;
Snihurivska community — 133 repairs completed.
And for the Zaporizka Oblast:
Zaporizka community — 75 repairs completed.
Also, as part of the project, assistance was provided for 5 Collective Centers in Mykolaivska and Zaporizka oblasts. The Centers used vouchers to procure materials for repair, household appliances, and equipment, which allowed for increasing the number of people accommodated and improving the quality of life.
The Humanitarian Assistance to Besieged Cities and IDP-Hosting Locations Inside Ukraine project was implemented by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” with the support of the humanitarian organization CARE.Ukraine.