For nearly a year now, a social laundry has been operating in Snigurivka, Mykolaiv Oblast, serving internally displaced persons, residents of de-occupied territories, and all those affected by the war. There, residents of the city and surrounding communities can wash their clothes for free. Due to constant shelling, the occupation of the city, and the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, Snigurivka faces ongoing water supply issues. It is very difficult for people to maintain hygiene in their households. Therefore, the opening of the laundry for Snigurivka residents has been a true lifeline.
The laundry is in incredible demand among vulnerable groups. Over the 12 months it has been operating, about 20,000 people have used the free laundry services. Among them is Mr. Volodymyr. He has been living alone for a long time and is retired. He has no wife, and his children moved away long ago. Therefore, he tries to manage his household on his own.
“Laundry is a real challenge for me. In Snigurivka, there’s often no water, and when there is, it’s murky, brown, and sometimes smells bad. I live in an apartment building. I have to carry buckets of water all the way up to the 5th floor. I let it sit for two days and only then start using it. With my back and my sore hands and legs, it’s very hard. By the time I’ve carried all that water, I don’t feel like doing laundry or even washing myself. On top of that, I don’t have a washing machine, so I have to do everything by hand,” — the man says.
The laundry service has made life much easier for him. Now, Mr. Volodymyr comes to the laundry to get his clothes washed.
“I really love that everything here is free and works so well. It’s such a huge help to me—you can’t even imagine. It’s very hard to be alone when no one cares about you and you don’t have enough money. Something as simple as doing laundry—and I can’t even do that properly on my own. Now they help me, and it’s so important that someone cares about me and doesn’t forget me. Thank you so much,” — Mr. Volodymyr adds with tears in his eyes.
Ms. Nadiya regularly uses the laundry services. She is a local resident and a retiree. She has lived in Snigurivka almost her entire life, and despite the difficulties, she has no intention of leaving this place so dear to her heart.
“All my friends are here—the people I’ve walked through life with. We survived the worst here—the occupation. We spent 10 months in our apartment, without food, water, heat, electricity, or gas. We’d go out into the street to cook. There, we did our laundry and warmed ourselves by the fire. We shared whatever we had with each other. Every day we were searched by enemy soldiers. They would burst into the apartment and shout at us to show our documents. It was scary, but we survived even that,” — shares Ms. Nadiya.
The woman has a husband—a man with a disability. He recently suffered a stroke and has completely lost his sight. Ms. Nadiya is his sole caregiver.
“My husband is bedridden; he can barely walk. I take care of him. It’s very hard to do this on my own. We don’t have a washing machine at home, and we don’t have enough money to buy a new one—our entire pension goes toward medication. That’s why the laundry service helps me out so much. I constantly take our clothes there. I leave them with the assistants; they wash and dry them and call me when I can come pick them up. Everything is free and of very high quality. Our family really needs this kind of help; without it, I wouldn’t be able to manage,” — says Ms. Nadiya gratefully.
Currently, free laundry services are provided five days a week, Monday through Friday. One person can wash up to 10 kilograms of laundry at a time. All necessary laundry supplies are provided on-site. You don’t need to bring anything with you.
Two employees—laundry assistants—supervise the washing and drying process. They handle everything themselves. People just need to bring their clothes and pick up the washed and dried items. The laundry serves about 100 people per day.
You can visit the laundry facility at the following address:
Snigurivka, 138 Tsentralna St.
Phone: +38 (075) 145 42 63
The laundry is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Lunch break: 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
The stationary laundry in Snigurivka operates as part of a project implemented by the charitable organization Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation and the German humanitarian organization Sign of Hope with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).