29 September 2022, Kyiv, Ukraine – UNHCR and the Kyiv Regional State Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding that sets out concrete areas of cooperation aimed at supporting people living in and returning to Kyiv region.
In the first months of the war, more than one million people fled from their homes in Kyiv oblast and an estimated 26,000 civilian homes and infrastructure were destroyed or damaged in the Kyiv region as a result of the military offensive against Ukraine.
Since April, UNHCR has been providing humanitarian assistance to people whose homes and lives have been directly impacted by the hostilities, with priority given to those with specific vulnerabilities, like older persons, persons with disabilities and families with young children. Essential items like mattrasses, blankets and kitchen sets have been distributed, in addition to cash assistance and emergency repair materials for damaged houses. Legal and psychosocial support has also been provided through UNHCR’s local NGO partners working in the region.
In August, UNHCR’s program expanded to include light and medium repairs of homes belonging to vulnerable persons.
UNHCR Representative Karolina Lindholm Billing praised the collaboration with the Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, Oleksii Kuleba, and his team during the ceremony of signing and said that, thanks to this, “We have been able to effectively assist some of the most vulnerable people impacted by the war against Ukraine, within a collective effort to recover and rebuild. This Memorandum of Understanding is not the start of our collaboration, it just solidifies what we are already doing, and is committed to continuing. Our priority now is to repair as many houses as possible before the winter, so that the owners can live and stay warm in these during the colder months.”
Oleksii Kuleba, Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, emphasized that the collaboration with the UNHCR is important for the restoration of Kyiv region: “I am grateful to the UNHCR for the cooperation. The signing of the memorandum is another step in furthering the restoration and development of Kyiv region together. I am sure that by joining forces, we will be able to restore the destroyed objects of the Kyiv region, and to support people in difficult circumstances,” said Oleksii Kuleba, Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration.
In Kyiv region alone, UNHCR aims to assist 2,400 families with housing repairs, 15,000 people with cash assistance and 24,000 people with essential items including winterized household items, such as quilts, thermoses, and heaters by the end of the year. Across Ukraine, UNHCR has so far provided humanitarian assistance and services to more than 2.1 million people impacted by the war.
For additional information please contact: Victoria Andrievska, Associate Communication/PI Officer, UNHCR Ukraine, [email protected], +38(044) 288 9710.
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