A working group meeting was recently held to discuss the urgent needs of the Bilozerka community for the coming six months, preparations for the winter season, and the progress of ongoing projects. The meeting took place in a hybrid format and was attended by representatives of local authorities, utility services, and charitable and civic organizations operating within the community.
Security Situation and Survival Challenge
Meeting participants noted that the security situation in the community continues to deteriorate rapidly. While three starostats — Nadiivka, Myroliubivka, and Pravdyn — were previously considered relatively safe, they are now also coming under enemy fire (specifically from rockets and guided aerial bombs).
Due to constant shelling and attacks by enemy UAVs (including fiber-optic-controlled drones), logistics within the community have become extremely dangerous. Most partners have refused to deliver aid directly to Bilozerka. Community vehicles are systematically destroyed by shelling. Furthermore, the enemy is deliberately targeting critical infrastructure, leaving residents without electricity, gas, or mobile service for weeks at a time. Currently, the community’s functioning relies on self-reliance and rapid response using its own resources.
Activities of Civic and Charitable Organizations
During the meeting, representatives of these organizations shared the results and plans for their work:
- The "Caritas-Spes Odesa" charitable foundation, together with its partners, is implementing the project "A Step Toward Safety: Supporting People and Homes in the Kherson Region." The organization has already purchased 1,200 fire extinguishers for Bilozerka. Additionally, the foundation provides financial assistance for evacuation, supports civilians wounded in the conflict, allocates funds for winter preparations, and is launching an agricultural project in the starostat (local administrative district) to support households.
- The Union Foundation — with the support of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) as part of the Kherson Area-Based Approach (ABA) consortium, implemented by DRC alongside Acted and Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) with funding from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund (UHF) — plans to distribute 200 safety kits to the Bilozerka community (containing a fire extinguisher, power bank, flashlight, first aid kit with tourniquets, and whistle). Distribution is scheduled to begin in October. In July, the Foundation also conducted three training sessions covering drone, mine, and fire safety, as well as basic first aid.
- The NGO "Revival of the communities of the South" is implementing three projects: providing psychosomatic support for children; distributing repair kits and hygiene kits to those affected by shelling; and supplying large hygiene kits to people with limited mobility.
- The NGO "Bilozerka Regional Development Center" is finalizing the distribution of emergency home repair kits in cooperation with Intersos. The organization also continues to operate a child-friendly space in Myroliubivka, deploys mobile teams (comprising a psychologist and a lawyer) to remote villages, and provides social support to children and female heads of households who have evacuated to Mykolaiv.
During the meeting, participants also discussed the community's urgent needs:
- Communication and alerts: Due to cellular network disruptions, the community has a critical need for two-way radios and signal boosters to facilitate communication between administrative districts and coordinate municipal services.
- Fire safety: Frequent incidents of dry vegetation being set ablaze and strikes by incendiary (napalm-filled) munitions create a significant need for fire extinguishers and alternative firefighting equipment.
- For remote villages lacking gas and electricity, there is a need for portable wood-burning stoves, generators (with fuel and lubricants for maintenance), household gas cylinders and cooking stoves, and the stockpiling of firewood for winter emergencies.
- Protection against drones and shelling: There is a need for self-adhesive protective window film, high-quality anti-drone netting, installation materials, and personal protective equipment (body armor, helmets, first-aid kits, and tourniquets).
- Transport: Cargo-passenger vans or light-duty trucks are required to deliver humanitarian aid and replace vehicles that have been destroyed.
- Long-term housing for evacuees: It is necessary to create conditions for the long-term, rent-free accommodation of evacuated community residents; a lack of funds for rent often forces people to return to areas under fire. Despite extremely difficult security conditions, staffing challenges, and logistical obstacles, the Bilozerka community—together with international and Ukrainian benefactors—continues to seek solutions to protect residents' lives and prepare for the most challenging winter period.
It is worth noting that the Working Group on Public Safety and Recovery was established in the community in 2023 as an advisory body to the military administration. Since its inception, its members have implemented several initiatives to strengthen public safety. Our Foundation serves as the coordinator for the network of working groups in the Kherson region.
