Chemonics is supporting inclusive community recovery in Ukraine, helping create safe environments for returning women refugees while rebuilding critical social infrastructure and strengthening services for vulnerable populations.
Inclusive community recovery
The Russian war against Ukraine has impacted on communities across Ukraine, with many of the human and infrastructure losses being felt in the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine. One of the cities that found itself on the frontline was Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. With its proximity to the Russian border, it immediately came under attack. The people of Chuhuiv lived under daily shelling for almost six months until Ukrainian Armed Forces were able to resist the Russian offensive away from the city.
Amidst the explosions, burning high-rise buildings and fear, the leadership of Chuhuiv’s mayor was a beacon of hope for the city. Halyna Minayeva has been the city’s mayor since 2002 and was instrumental in ensuring food and medical supplies reached Chuhuiv’s residents when the invasion began, which was made even more challenging with the city being on the frontline and under constant bombardment. Following Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region in September of 2022, Halyna has played a significant role in the city’s rebuilding process.
“We will definitely rebuild everything that the enemy has destroyed. The tragedy is that 38 civilians in our community were killed. They will never come back…”
Millions of Ukrainians have left the country since the start of the war, many becoming refugees. Some are gradually returning to Ukraine. Halyna knows that safety is crucial for women returning home. She also knows that other factors such as employment and social infrastructure such as kindergartens and schools are key for women, and her approach to rebuilding is both practical and inclusive as a result. To ensure the holistic rehabilitation of children with disabilities, Halyna and the Early Recovery component of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine programme have worked on restoring and strengthening services for children with mental health disorders. Halyna wants to expand the services for children to help them integrate into community life and become self-dependent.
Rebuilding to a more resilient and prosperous Ukraine
The Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine programme supports initiatives that integrate trauma-informed approaches and provide activities for community stabilisation and development. Embedding women’s voices in decision making, planning, and implementing will accelerate and advance Ukraine’s inclusive recovery and community transformations.
The aim of the programme is to set improved conditions for the Ukrainian state, in partnership with civil society and the private sector, to lead on inclusive national recovery and revitalisation. This outcome is designed to facilitate the rebuilding of a more resilient, socially cohesive, inclusive, independent, democratic, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine.
Banner image caption: Halyna Minayeva stands in front of a building’s destruction in Chuhuiv city in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. Photo taken by the PFRU team in Ukraine.
