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Stanislav, Bilozerka, Chornobaivka: representatives of three communities of the Kherson region, which have already experienced the horror of the russian occupation, joined their efforts to help other Ukrainian cities and villages awaiting liberation.
A two-day workshop, "The Reconstruction of Liberated Communities", was held in Kyiv. Participants included representatives of military administrations, village councils, communal enterprises, and elders of the Stanislav, Bilozerka, and Chornobaivka communities.
During the workshop organized by the Kherson Regional Charitable Fund "Union" aimed to prepare for the restoration of livelihoods in the de-occupied territories, the participants worked together on a list of questions for self-assessment of the state of communities. This list will be a valuable tool for:
- Assessing the scale of destruction: clearly structured questions related to security, infrastructure, humanitarian, medical, economic, human resources, and other aspects will make it easier to understand the priority needs of the de-occupied territories.
- Development of a recovery plan: based on the collected information, it will be possible to clearly outline priority areas of work and develop an effective action plan to return communities to everyday life.
- Aid optimization: the list will help coordinate the efforts of volunteers, humanitarian organizations, and authorities to provide aid to those in need as efficiently as possible.
The purpose of creating such a list is to form clear recommendations regarding the priority directions for restoring life in settlements after de-occupation. Thanks to these questions, it will be possible to quickly assess the actual state of affairs on the ground and determine the priority steps to stabilize the situation and return to everyday life. So, the experience shows that the occupiers are trying to destroy the infrastructure as much as possible and leave behind a "scorched earth".
The specified list includes the evidence of people based on in-depth interviews conducted by the "Union" Foundation in 2023 with representatives of local self-government, communal enterprises, the State Emergency Service, cultural institutions, guardianship, and health care, representatives of public and youth organizations, media workers, and workers of industrial enterprises in the de-occupied communities of the Kherson region. In addition, the problems noted by the residents of the Stanislav, Bilozerka, and Chornobaivka communities during the mass gathering of ideas for recovery at the end of 2023 - the beginning of 2024 were considered.
All this evidence was supplemented and structured at a two-day workshop, with recommendations for preparing for the restoration of livelihoods de-occupied territories at different stages: before liberation, the first month after liberation, and the subsequent recovery period.
The list itself is quite universal because it can be used by any de-occupied community, regardless of its size, geographical location, or specificity. The questions are formulated as clearly as possible, which makes the list convenient for practical use.
Self-assessment of the state of de-occupied communities is only the first step in their recovery. But this is a very important step that will help join forces and make the recovery process faster, more efficient, and fairer.
The list will be publicly presented on February 16, 2024.