Modular homes help people whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged to stay in their communities

On the evening of 25 March, a 62-year-old Nadiia, a native of Buzova village was at home. It was her grandson’s 17th birthday, and Nadiia had called him to wish him a happy birthday. Earlier that month, Nadiia’s children and grandchildren relocated to western Ukraine amidst the hostilities in Bucha raion of Kyiv oblast. They had hoped Nadiia would come with them, but Nadiia didn’t feel well enough for the long trip and decided to stay at home, relying on her small cellar - which served as a bomb-shelter - for safety during shelling. 
Nadiia’s call with her grandson was punctured by the sudden loud noise of explosions nearby. Nadiia immediately ran to the cellar. “Thank God, I remembered to grab a small bag with my documents,” says Nadiia. From the cellar, she heard two further blasts and the walls of the cellar shook. Fearful for her safety, Nadiia stayed put in the cellar until the blasts subsided.  

“Nadiia, are you alive?” called a voice overhead. The cellar door creaked opened and Nadiia saw her neighbour’s worried face in the doorway “Yes”, replied Nadiia, slowly getting to her feet and climbing the stairs. Now above ground, Nadiia saw the full impact of the blasts. Fire had destroyed much of her home, but there was no time to waste, Nadiia was still not safe, so she ran, in her light gown through the rubble to hide in her neighbour’s home. 

The period after the loss of her home was a difficult time for Nadiia. She stayed in several locations, with friends or family. She tried to keep active and volunteered in an area which was liberated and local people were in need of humanitarian support. For about a month she took it upon herself to cook warm meals for displaced persons who had lost their homes. 
After a few months of temporary accommodation, Nadiia began to yearn to return home . “I cannot tell you how I missed the feeling of being at home. Everything I love and need is here. This land and this community are my home and I don’t need no other”. said Nadiia.  “Also, my back was hurting a lot and my health deteriorated as a result of my time in the cellar.  I needed a space where I would be able to relax and to heal.” 
In September, Nadiia received a call from her local community leader with some good news. She was being offered a new home- a modular house- donated by the Kingdom of Denmark through the UNHCR housing programme. The modular house, to be erected alongside her home, was a temporary solution to bridge the gap until her home is rebuilt. “I was so happy to hear this news!” said Nadiia. “After that call, the construction took only a few weeks, so quick! See, I have chosen my house to be next to my flowers, so I can be close to them,” she says happily.  
Nadiia’s house is still to be restored, but this winter Nadiia will stay warm and safe in her new home, which is equipped with all the necessary furniture and appliances: a bed, table, wardrobe, fridge, boiler, shower and a stove to cook warm meals.

 

At the other end of the village, another family is having their house-warming.  
Oksana, a 38-year-old mother of two - 10-year-old Iliia and 5-year-old Nadiika, lives with her husband and her mother. A worker at a local logistics centre, Nadiia lost her job just before the war started and soon afterwards, her home was destroyed during shelling.
The family was not in the village at that time as they had relocated to western Ukraine for two months in search of safety. When they came back, their yard was filled with rubble and dust.  “This pile of bricks here - it used to be our bedroom and our kitchen,” shows Oksana “It took us the whole summer to clean the yard.” 
“And here, it was our daughter’s room”, she continues, showing a dusty wall where you can still make out a colourful painting of an orange giraffe, walking amongst the flowers and grass.

“My daughter still fears planes. She remembers how the war planes were flying over our house and the explosions in our neighbourhood during first days of war,” she says. 
 With the winter just around the corner the family urgently needed a place to live during the cold months ahead. They recently were enrolled in the UNHCR housing program and received two modular houses. 
“The construction was done really fast, in only a week and a half”, says Oksana.  “The children are very excited to sleep in a bunk bed. It is quite unusual for us, but we hope we will be warm here this winter,” she says.  
Together with Polish Humanitarian Action, UNHCR has erected the first four houses in Buzova village (Bucha raion). The programme is rolled out in Kyiv and Chernihiv oblast where severe hostilities have left thousands of people without homes. Altogether, 95 modular homes will be assembled for families alongside their damaged homes. This means that these families can stay within their communities.  

The needs across Ukraine are enormous, especially with the onset of winter, and this requires a collective whole-of-society response, led by the government and supported by its authorities, financial institutions and donor countries, private sector, civil society and humanitarian actors. These modular houses generously provided by Denmark are one of UNHCR’s contributions to the collective response to the impact of the war on people's lives and homes.  
Overall, UNHCR aims to repair and insulate some 8,000 houses through its light and medium repairs programme, to create or improve 14,400 sleeping spaces in collective centres for IDPs who cannot return home and do not have the means to secure private accommodation. Some 337,000 people will receive cash support to cover increased costs associated with the winter period and 567,000 people will receive essential items like thermal blankets, thermoses and heaters. In total, UNHCR aims to reach more than 900,000 vulnerable individuals in the winterization response to complement the Government’s efforts. 
To date, UNHCR has assisted over 2,4 million people, displaced or affected by the war. But the needs continue to be significant, and further humanitarian support and the establishment of medium to long-term solutions will be necessary to assist the people of Ukraine in the period ahead.