UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, repairs houses and restores hope for war-affected and returning families across Ukraine.
Nataliia Kruhlova together with her children stands in front of their house which UNHCR has helped to repair in Velyka Danylivka, Kharkivska oblast. ©UNHCR/Oleksii Barkov
Once, Velyka Danylivka was a peaceful, rural suburb of Kharkiv in Ukraine, where small cosy houses and gardens lined the streets. However, Kharkivska oblast that neighbours the Russian Federation took one of the heaviest hits when the Russian full-scale invasion began in February 2022. While some areas in the region fell under temporary military control of the Russian armed forces, other parts were and remain subjected to shelling, leaving behind hundreds of destroyed homes.
Once the security situation improved, UNHCR started to roll-out its house repair programme in Kharkivska oblast. This programme had initially been launched in August 2022 in Kyivska oblast to help war-affected families repair their houses damaged by hostilities in areas such as Irpin, Borodyanka, Ivankiv and Makariv.
Under this program, damaged houses are repaired in a durable way, and broken roofs, windows and doors are replaced or repaired, to make the homes habitable again. In October, UNHCR reached an important milestone of 20,000 houses and apartments repaired across Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
One of them belongs to 43-year old Nataliia Kruhlova. Along with her three children, her brother, and her 68-year-old mother, she has lived in her house in Velyka Danylivka for years, and Nataliia, a skilled seamstress, had lovingly decorated every room of the family’s house with her craft works. But her cherished home became one of the first casualties of the war.
“We didn’t understand what was happening. The windows shattered, the roof seemed to rise up to the sky and fall after one of the hits. We ran to the basement,” recalls Nataliia’s mother, Halyna.
Halyna stands in front of her house which UNHCR has helped to repair in Velyka Danylivka, Kharkivska oblast. ©UNHCR/Oleksii Barkov
For ten harrowing days, the family huddled in the basement, living in constant fear. Determined to ensure her children’s safety, but with a heavy heart, Nataliia decided to leave her home for six months, taking the last evacuation train to Vinnytsia oblast.
“I didn’t imagine my life abroad or in any other region of the country. I wanted to return home with all my heart,” Nataliia says.
Today, she is back in her own house which UNHCR has helped to repair. A new roof, an entrance door and windows were installed, just as has been the case for thousands of families all over the country.
The work continues with more houses being repaired day by day in villages and oblasts that have been directly subjected to hostilities and shelling.
For Nataliia, the hardship endured while she was displaced with her children – and her parents stayed behind and struggled tremendously to make ends meet – but now, she has hope going forward.
“I am optimistic about the future, whatever happens,” says Nataliia. “We now have a new roof over our heads and restored windows thanks to UNHCR’s support. Now, we can live in warm and comfortable conditions and not be afraid of the cold weather. I feel much safer now. After all, I am at home.”
47-year-old Iryna, another resident of Velyka Danylivka, also experienced the terrifying consequences of the shelling. She had to leave her home in the first month of the invasion and returned in September 2022 to a scene of devastation.
Her house was badly damaged with no windows, no roof, and severe structural damage. Thanks to the repairs done by UNHCR, her house is now winter-ready – repaired windows and a new roof ensure that she can live in comfort and dignity, also when temperatures drop in the months ahead.
“The winter is going to be harsh and difficult. Even more difficult than last year. But we hope that we will stay here,” says Iryna with confidence.
Durable house repairs are part of UNHCR’s Emergency Shelter and Housing Programme that aims to ensure that the most vulnerable people affected by the war, whether displaced, remaining at home or having returned from displacement, have access to adequate housing. To help people quickly fix their homes, UNHCR also distributes Emergency Shelter Kits and construction materials.
At collective sites hosting displaced people, UNHCR improves living conditions and helps families to seek alternative shelter, by assisting them with cash to enter the private rental market. In 2022, over 160,000 people benefited from these shelter and housing programmes and more than 201,000 people have been supported so far in 2023.
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