Name of the initiative: "Repair of the external sewage network of the MCP "Housing of the Kitzman Vocational College"
Forced migrants from the occupied regions of Ukraine have been living in the Kitzman dormitory since the first months of the war. Over the past two years, more than a thousand people, mostly disabled people and mothers with children, have found temporary or permanent shelter here. The most pressing problem for these people was the old worn-out external sewage networks that could not be repaired. Due to constant accidents, people were often left without water. In addition, the drains often flooded the basement of the dormitory, in which both the underprivileged residents of the shelter and the students of the nearby educational institution hid during air raids. Due to constant dampness and stench, the spacious bomb shelter was practically unusable.
The residents of the hostel joined forces with the activists of the local community and coped with this problem. Now they have a completely new external sewage network.
The materials needed for the repair were purchased with the grant funds and a section of the drainage network was replaced. 120 meters of polyethylene pipeline was installed. The renovation of the external sewerage system with new pipes of a larger diameter made it possible to increase the drainage capacity. Thanks to the completed works, the normal drainage of the basement has been restored, so there is no longer any danger of the shelter being flooded. The bomb shelter was cosmetically repaired by the grantees themselves.
Inspired by the success of the initiative, its authors created their own public organization to be able to continue helping the residents of the shelter. After all, due to the state of war, it is difficult to find state support for this.
Oksana Horoshova, one of the initiators of the project, said:
"Our initiative group, which includes IDPs living in a hostel, has been helping people who have been left homeless due to the war or forced to leave their homes due to hostilities for two years on a volunteer basis. We have learned to quickly respond to people's needs , not to be afraid of challenges, to hear, to understand, to help. Together with other public organizations, we have already implemented five projects on the basis of the hostel - we have created a children's club, a youth space, we have helped migrants with nutrition and rehabilitation, adaptation and psychological support, etc of our team have undergone training in project management, have experience in working with the budget, involving volunteers. Therefore, together we created our own public organization "New Life - Kitsman" in order to have more opportunities to help people, because there are many unsolved problems."
In total, almost 500 people became the beneficiaries of the project - IDPs living in the dormitory, employees and students of the college, students of a nearby school who use the bomb shelter, as well as local residents living nearby. It became possible to stay in shelter during air raids, which reduced people's stress levels. Thanks to the implementation of the initiative, safe, reliable and comfortable living and security conditions were created for a large part of Kitzman residents.
