Is it possible to effectively plan recovery without understanding how the community will develop in the future? How can we forecast the capacities of social and critical infrastructure, which is built for decades, without prior assessments of the community’s demographic situation, economic potential, and development prospects? The Ukraine Support Team coalition and partners have begun working on an economic modeling project for the recovery and development of the Borodianka community to address this issue.
As part of the UST coalition’s work, we have extensively assisted communities in prioritizing their recovery needs. In the context of war and limited resources, rebuilding everything at once is an unattainable task and, in some cases, impractical. Is it worth investing millions in rebuilding a school for 600 students if we don’t know how many children will study there in five years? How many hospital beds should the new hospital have?
The recovery process cannot be limited to the physical rebuilding of what was destroyed. To bring people back home, it must focus on strengthening and developing the economy.
Together with the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO) and the Saturday Team consulting company, using Borodianka as an example, we aim to create an algorithm that will help communities determine the most promising and priority pathways for their economic development and recovery.
“It is very difficult to assess what needs to be rebuilt and where to invest effort and funds first when there is no understanding of how the community will develop under different circumstances. That is why we have undertaken a new ambitious project — economic modeling for community recovery and development. By developing economic scenarios for Borodianka, we hope to create a kind of checklist for other communities: what they need to know about themselves; how to plan their future; determine what needs to be restored and proposed to donors and potential investors,” says the head of the coalition, Olena Koltyk.
With the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, our team conducts an analysis of the economic and demographic state of the Borodianka community over different periods, identifies systemic problems, and possible ways to solve them. We will also study global and national trends that will impact the long-term development of communities.
Based on this data, our experts will model economic development scenarios up to 2030 and test them with residents, business representatives, and other stakeholders, selecting the most promising and suitable for the community.
We are confident that this approach will allow local governments to build a more effective management strategy and establish better communication with donors and potential investors, ensuring the community increases its capacity and develops sustainably.
Experts and authorities are looking for opportunities to produce new construction products from recycled debris. A wide range of stakeholders met at the round table “Overcoming the consequences of war: determining the volume and debris management” on March 6 in Kyiv to discuss approaches to demolition waste management and ways to solve problems with it in the war-affected regions.
The issue of debris management is one of the priorities in the recovery process and requires coordination of efforts at all levels, government officials and Members of Parliament say. According to Deputy Minister of Community, Territories, and Infrastructure Development Natalia Kozlovska, at this stage, along with cleaning the territories from destruction, it is important to focus on proper sorting and preservation of these types of waste. The Ministry considers debris as a possible resource for the construction industry in the process of further reconstruction of Ukraine, she says.
“We are talking about the reuse of these materials, which means that the processing of raw materials must be at a high level. We strive to understand what percentage of the construction waste must necessarily be used in new materials production,” says Nataliya Kozlovska.
“Already during a large-scale war, in 2022, we adopted the law “On waste management”. Unfortunately, when this law was adopted, we did not understand the estimated volume of this waste would generate. Therefore, debris management was not regulated separately. Now we have to reflect it in the legislation so that the Cabinet of Ministers has grounds to develop relevant by-laws,” says MP Oleg Bondarenko, head of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Environmental Management.
Ukrainian parliamentarians are currently working on a bill on the basic principles of recovery. Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Chairwoman of the Committee on the Organization of State Building, Local Self-Government, Regional Development, and Urban Planning Olena Shulyak notes that the document will include, among other things, the issue of debris management as an economic component of the reconstruction process.
“At the moment, no one has accurately calculated how much of the debris we have. There is no such methodology. It is a challenge and a task for every community to assess and understand the situation. Don’t just take it all to the landfill, but through the prism of these environmental issues, try to solve social and economic problems as well,” says Olena Shulyak.
A member of the Ukraine Support Team coalition, the ReThink NGO, is working on solving the issue of accounting the amount of debris. In cooperation with the Ministry for Restoration, they are developing methodological recommendations for determining the projected volumes of this type of waste based on foreign experience. Similar methodologies are effectively used in many countries, in particular Japan, to calculate the costs of dismantling, grinding, and processing debris. However, it is impossible to apply foreign formulas 100% for Ukraine due to the peculiarities of the climate, typical building materials, and the scale of destruction, says the head of the UST coalition and ReThink expert Olena Koltyk:
“Correct accounting of the volume of debris will help communities build effective comprehensive recovery plans. As well as business representatives involved in this recovery will get the understanding of how much raw material they will potentially have in one or another region.”
Representatives of Ukrainian businesses present at the event along with scientists assure that the reuse of waste from destruction is possible and can even improve the properties of products. However, the director of the “Kovalska” Innovation and Technology Center Victoria Spivak notes that it is important to qualitatively sort, grind, and fractionate waste to achieve this.
Since December 2022, UNDP has been working on solving this task. According to Roman Shakhmatenko, coordinator of the group of energy and environmental protection projects, during this time the organization supported the clearing of more than 170,000 tons of waste from the demolition:
“We are piloting our approach, which involves several steps: surveying locations for the presence of explosive objects, clearance of rubble, sorting, proper handling of asbestos, further separation of fractions, and grinding. The next stage should be processing. For this, we need to understand where exactly these raw materials can be used, what can be produced from them, and whether there is an economic model for this.”
MPs, representatives of the Ministry for Restoration and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Kyiv Regional State Administration, UNDP, the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine, companies producing building materials “Kovalska” and CRH, scientists of the Ukrainian Research and Design Institute of Building Materials and Products, as well as representatives of the affected territorial communities took part in the event. More than 350 participants from different regions of Ukraine joined it online.
According to the latest estimates of the Ministry for Restoration, based on the reports of territorial communities affected by Russia’s armed aggression, more than 600,000 tons of debris have accumulated in the territories controlled by Ukraine, and only 6% of them are being reused. Management and processing of waste on a post-war scale will require a comprehensive approach, including the creation of the necessary regulatory framework; the development of a catalog of construction products manufactured using raw materials based on recycled waste; development of standards for the manufacture of such construction products.
The round table was held within the framework of the project “Rethink: Recommendations for Debris Management on the Frontlines” as a part of the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative, implemented with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
With the administrative support of the Ukraine Support Team (UST) coalition, the school in the village of Voznesenske in Chernihiv Region will receive a current roof repairs and major renovation of the food block along with a dining room. The total cost of the works is over 150,000 euros.
Voznesenske of Kyselivka community is located 7 km from Chernihiv. From the first days of the full-scale invasion until April 2022, the village was under occupation. Russian soldiers based in the premises of the gymnasium.
During one of the shelling, the roof of the educational institution was damaged by projectile fragments. During heavy rains and after heavy snowfalls, it flows, says the director of Voznesensk Gymnasium, Leonid Horbach.
Full-time education was resumed here already in September 2022, thanks to the available shelter. Currently, 66 students study in the gymnasium (including those from the village of Novoselivka, which suffered large-scale destruction during the Russians’ attempts to take Chernihiv), as well as 14 kindergarten students.
Repair work will begin here shortly. The project is implemented by a member of the UST coalition – the SavEd fund, which takes care of restoring children’s access to education in Ukraine. The funding for this project is provided by Slovak foundations – Open Society Foundation Bratislava and Pontis Foundation – thanks to the generous support of the Taipei Representative Office in Slovakia.
Another 97,000 hryvnias for the development of the project and estimated documentation are provided by the Kyselivska community council.
The report summarizes the work result of the UST (Ukraine Support Team) – a coalition of local and national organizations committed to facilitating recovery and resilience in war-affected regions of Ukraine. Our mission is to create and sustain recovery ecosystems through social engagement, economic revival, and strategic collaborations.
Eight non-governmental organizations, analytical centres, and experts have united to work comprehensively to restore life in the front-line and de-occupied regions in 5 key directions of social sphere: energy and utilities, education, health care, legal advice on compensation for damaged housing and debris management.
Read or download the final report below.
Representatives of territorial communities of the region met with national and international NGO’s that provide expert and donor assistance in the field of restoring access to education in order to coordinate joint efforts in overcoming the problems of the sector caused by the war. The forum was organized by the Chernihiv office of UST together with the Regional Office of International Cooperation of Chernihiv Regional Military Administration
As a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 144 educational institutions were damaged or destroyed in the region. According to Yuri Muzika, head of the education department of the Chernihiv OVA, 75 of them have been restored today. He calls the return of children to face-to-face education the most important task.
“This year’s indicators inspire hope that with joint efforts we will be able to make up for educational losses. Today, 38% of schools in our country study offline, 46% – in a mixed form, and only 16% study remotely.”
It is the coordination of joint work between state and local authorities and NGOs that can speed up the reconstruction process, according to Tetyana Yasochko, adviser to the head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration:
“The purpose of this event is to establish communication between donors and communities that need help. We want to build this dialogue so that our joint work to restore the industry is as effective as possible.”
One of the serious problems in the field of education in Chernihiv Region, according to Andrii Kuzhel, head of the UST Chernihiv office, is the uneven implementation of projects in the region:
“Help is often focused closer to Kyiv. The Kyiv highway is like a conditional demarcation line. We all understand that it is logistically more convenient, but we have to remember the borders, where many donors are afraid to go. People leave from there, and the lack of access to education is one of the factors of this migration.”
Thus, in the 20-kilometer zone on the border with Russia, where face-to-face education is prohibited, there are 19 schools and 17 kindergartens, where almost 2 thousand children study in total. According to Tetyana Kovalchuk, head of the education department of the Novgorod-Siver city council, in two months of the school year, the number of students in community schools decreased by 20 children. Out of 13 schools in the community, only one is open.
“We are a community that is in the zone of possible hostilities, we have a 20-km zone. If we don’t have a school, we have less than 200 students, and funds are usually taken for large schools, – says Tetyana Kovalchuk. – In Novgorod-Siversky, we have a large lyceum for 800 students, where there is no shelter. We are developing project documentation for its construction, we are asking designers to break it into complexes in order to implement it in parts, but there is no donor for this either. We need to work on finding funds that are willing to join together.”
Representatives of 18 territorial communities of the region took part in the forum. In addition, the event was attended by the largest international foundations that take care of the reconstruction of the education sector in Chernihiv Region, in particular: UNICEF, IOM, ACTED, NRC, FCA, United 24, “Partnership for a Resilient Ukraine” та SavEd.
As part of the forum, representatives of international organizations presented their policies and areas of activity, talked about work plans for 2024. Anna Putsova, the head of the operational direction of the SavEd fund, on the initiative of which the first 8 digital educational centers were created in the schools of the region, emphasized the importance of the proactive position of local self-government bodies.
“A correctly articulated need with the right reasoning is equal to the satisfaction of that need. International funds can help you, but it is important to offer your vision on how to solve this problem, to work out legislation and possible solutions. Only then can this mechanism move from its place,” she addressed the representatives of the communities of the region.@
The report “Rebuilding Life: A Comprehensive Need Assessment of War-Torn Regions” summarizes the work result of the UST (Ukraine Support Team) – a coalition of public organizations, analytical centers, and national and regional teams that united to develop an effective recovery approach through strengthening communities, establishing interaction with donors, attracting aid to the population to ensure all the necessary conditions for Ukrainian citizens to return home.
The project team consists of national experts and regional teams in two chosen pilot regions – Chernihiv and Mykolaiv.
We focused on three areas of public life: education, health, and energy security. Based on the experience of piloting the project, we decided to use a comprehensive approach to analyze regions and include communities’ strategic development in the overview.
Read or download the report “Restoring Life: A Comprehensive Assessment of the Needs of War-Torn Regions”.
Below you can also find the Catalog of Projects in Chernihiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv Regions.
On July 7, 2023, during a visit to the Chernihiv region, the adviser to the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Artem Husak, the head of the UST coalition Olena Koltyk, the head of the Chernihiv office of the UST Andriy Kuzhel met with the head of the Chernihiv Region Military Administration Vyacheslav Chaus discussed the first results of the work of the Regional Office for International Cooperation on the reconstruction of Chernhiv region.
“Very positive reviews about the start of the work of the Regional Office in the Chernihiv region. It is clear that the region suffered a lot as a result of military aggression, complex issues, a common border with the enemy… But what was done during 2022 and the year 2023 shows the openness of the regional military administration, the Regional Development Agency, and communities to cooperate with governmental and non-governmental partners.” – said Mr. Husak.
According to Mr. Husak, Regional Offices for International Cooperation have already been established in all regions of Ukraine. Each region will have its own specificity of work, in particular, the most affected areas will focus on recovery.
Vyacheslav Chaus noted that the goal of creating the Regional Office of International Cooperation is permanent systematization and uninterrupted work with all existing and potential partners. “Chernihiv region cooperates with more than 300 donor organizations, development partners, and charitable organizations,” he said.
Ukraine Support Team is also working on the reconstruction of the Chernihiv Region, in particular helping to restore access to education, health care services, housing and communal services, and ensuring stable heat and electricity supply. The head of the UST coalition, Olena Koltyk, noted that the establishment of cooperation between donors, local authorities and civil society is the key to effective reconstruction. “The work of our office is aimed at increasing the capacity of communities. We help communities identify priority needs for reconstruction, find optimal technical solutions, and attract financing,” she added.
As part of the visit, Artem Husak and the Ukraine Support Team also visited the Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital, the Lyceum in Mykhailo-Kotsyubinsky, and the village of Yagidne.
With the help of donors, the Chernihiv Regional Children’s Hospital recently received a hybrid solar power station that provides an uninterrupted power supply. However, the hospital’s small patients still do not have a shelter, for which the search for funding is ongoing.
Lyceum in the village of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske has the status of the hub school, but it was destroyed by a russian missile. The United 24 platform and football players Andriy Shevchenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who will play in a charity match in London in August, joined the fundraising for the reconstruction of the lyceum. And while the collection of considerable costs for the reconstruction of the lyceum continues, there is a need to purchase more than 500 tablets to provide students with access to distance education.
The small village of Yagidne in the Chernihiv region, which was occupied by the russians for almost a month, is called by local residents “Chernihivska Bucha”. Here, the invaders also shot unarmed civilians and destroyed their houses. Reconstruction works are currently underway in Yagidne. The village was included in the national experimental project on comprehensive restoration. It is planned to repair 101 private houses and 17 apartment buildings, 2 objects of social infrastructure, and 2 – commercial real estate. Works are divided into several phases. The first has 41 buildings.
The Regional Office for International Cooperation is an initiative of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, which aims to develop the interaction of local and regional authorities with international partners who seek to cooperate at the level of the region and territorial community.
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“No one knows what “build back better” is. And we managed to implement it. School No 20 in Chernihiv is such an example, when it is possible to restore it and bring it back to life, class by class, piece by piece. And in my deep conviction, this is an example for others, for business, how you can slowly recover without having millions of dollars”, – Anna Novosad.
On June 6, 2023. Anna Novosad, an expert in education of the UST coalition and the founder of the SavED charitable foundation, presented the restored computer science class at Chernihiv School No. 20. This educational institution is one of 25 in Chernihiv that were destroyed during the blockade of the city in February-March 2022. Two more were completely destroyed. On March 6 of past year, 5 Russian shells hit the territory of school No. 20, one of them hit the sports hall, the computer science class was also destroyed.
Now the computer science class is functioning again. According to Anna Novosad, restoration began in December 2022. IT company SQUAD provided it with equipment, namely 20 modern computers, and furniture. For repairs, money was raised from other donors.
“It may seem like it’s just one class, but in fact it gives hope. This shows that joint efforts can be done and that it is not so expensive,” said Anna Novosad.
The communities of Mykolaiv region received 3 specialized vehicles for technical inspection of buildings and for the needs of social services. The vehicles s were provided by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine and the Government of Canada, the head of the Mykolayiv UST office, Dmytro Tarasenko, were coordinating the assistance.
“The obtained equipment will allow more effective assistance to the population and will speed up the recovery of the affected communities of the region,” notes the head of Mykolaiv Region Military Administration Vitaly Kim.
Special vehicles were transferred:
- A car for a mobile group for technical inspection of buildings and structures, which enables an expert assessment of the scale of damaged or destroyed objects, was handed over to the Directorate for Capital Construction and Reconstruction of the Mykolaiv Regional Council;
- The Mykolayiv Regional Center of Social Services received the “Social Services to Communities” car, which will help the expert team provide social and psychological assistance in the territories affected by the war;
- The “Mobile Social Services” vehicle, which has special equipment for providing social services to the less mobile population and residents of remote areas, was handed over to the needs of the Ascension Center for the provision of social services.
