Since December 2023, U-LEAD has started transferring aid to 100 Ukrainian municipalities that have suffered the most since the start of the full-scale war. In the Kharkiv Oblast, it is provided to 17 municipalities, namely Barvinkove, Borova, Velykyi Burluk, Vilkhivka, Derhachi, Donetsk, Zolochiv, Izium, Lyptsi, Novopokrovka, Oskil, Pechenihy, Savyntsi, Slobozhanske, Tsyrkuny, Chkalovske and Shevchenkove. Maryna Honcharenko, Adviser on Local Finance and Management of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Kharkiv Oblast, spoke about this.
According to her, aid packages were created for each of the municipalities in accordance with their needs. Some municipalities have already got their packages in full, while others are still in the process of receiving them. For example, all municipalities have received toolkits, and transport is still at the handover stage, but most municipalities have already got it.
Incidentally, the Pechenihy municipality received minibuses that will be used for various social needs, for on-site public reception, fixing damage to real estate, etc. As part of the Social Bus Project, these vehicles will transport residents of remote villages to the village of Pechenihy.
The municipality also received a toolkit that will be used to restore, repair and maintain municipal property, including critical infrastructure, healthcare, education, social and cultural facilities that have been damaged by hostilities and are in need of repair.
The municipality of Novopokrovka received a Ford Transit and equipment for restoration works. The receipt of the aid was reported on the Facebook page of the Novopokrovka municipality.
The new minibus of the Tsyrkuny municipality will help solve logistics and mobility issues. According to the municipality’s statement, this vehicle will significantly increase the availability of social services and improve the overall quality of life in the municipality. The municipality also received a front loader.
In addition to municipalities of the Kharkiv Oblast, the project provides for assistance to those of the Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Chernihiv Oblasts. The aid packages (focusing on the needs of each individual municipality) included special vehicles, minibuses, generators and repair kits.
Launched in 2023 and financed from special funds of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), this initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of 100 Ukrainian municipalities for emergency repairs and improvement of local mobility. Initially, a total of 100 vehicles and 100 tool kits were planned to be delivered, but the initiative later expanded to hand over an additional 140 minibuses to improve transport options in small towns and villages.