Ukrainian internally displaced persons

“The help from our German partners made a huge difference in being able to take in such a large number of internally displaced persons in a suitable way,” stresses Iryna Mykytka. Schtschyrez set up temporary accommodation for internally displaced persons at sites such as hospitals, schools, nurseries, and cultural institutions. “We got everything we needed from our friends in Gudensberg to meet the basic needs of those who were fleeing the war: access to food and hygiene. They sent us jam, soup, warm clothes, sleeping bags and mattresses, personal hygiene products, and medications,” Iryna Mykytka gratefully recalls.

Most of the internally displaced persons have already left Schtschyrez. Some have returned to their home regions in Ukraine, some continued their journeys towards Western Europe, while others have moved to other cities in the regions of Galicia and Transcarpathia. There are currently 200 internally displaced persons still living in Schtschyrez, the majority of whom are accommodated in private homes. Most of them have adjusted to their new home and are receiving financial support from the state. Around 60% have already found a job.

“Nevertheless, the Schtschyrez district still faces considerable challenges,” Irina Mykytka says. “We need help getting the remaining internally displaced persons into work, support with social integration and providing psychosocial support and treatment.” She explains that “most of these people have lost their homes, their material wealth and their identity. They are in a highly complex emotional condition, so providing medical and social rehabilitation for these people is one of our top priorities in Schtschyrez.”

Gudensberg is helping the Schtschyrez municipal administration to provide high-quality support and administration for internally displaced persons, the local population and other Ukrainians who need help. The hospital in Schtschyrez treats and rehabilitates civilian and military victims of the war, and thanks to the partnership with Gudensberg it is being renovated and modernised. The project includes renovating the roof, insulating walls and sealing the foundations. “Once the modernisation is complete the building will be more environmentally friendly and will need less oil and gas to operate,” explains Dr Kettlitz.

Engagement Global and its Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) are renovating the hospital as part of their NAKOPA project for sustainable municipal development on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Dr Kettlitz says. The overall budget for the project is €291,000, of which €250,000 has come from an Engagement Global grant, with the rest of the funds provided by the Schtschyrez town council. The partners from Gudensberg and Schtschyrez are currently working with a firm of Ukrainian architects to plan the renovations. The actual work on modernising the building is planned to run from 2024 to 2026.

This is not the first joint project completed by the partnership between Schtschyrez and Gudensberg to receive financial support from Engagement Global through the Nakopa programme. Sewers were installed under the streets of Schtschyrez in 2019 and 202. The project began by connecting the old administrative building in Schtschyrez, which had no sanitary facilities, to mains water and the sewer. After this a trench was dug for the sewer and pipes were laid. The project was completed on time. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion, the town had to postpone putting the sewer into operation. Assessments of the condition of the sewer are ongoing ahead of connecting residences to it. Engagement Global provided 90% of the project’s €275,000 budget on behalf of the BMZ, while Schtschyrez and Gudensberg contributed the remainder.

Eberhardt Kettlitz and Iryna Mykytka are happy to share their secrets of successful collaboration and tips on how to develop a sustainable partnership. Eberhardt Kettlitz recommends “intensive communication with each other, a lot of patience and, ideally, good translators or good communication and translation technology. Different laws apply in different countries, particularly around construction, and there are often different expectations of what a project should look like. That makes communication essential right at the start when you’re defining the project objectives.

Eberhardt Kettlitz also advises German and Ukrainian municipalities not to hesitate to get in touch with the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) team when the need arises. “At every stage, from looking for potential partners to carrying out joint projects with the Ukrainian side, Engagement Global and Service Agency will always be there to help. The people who work there are highly professional and friendly, and they always give good advice,” he says.

Iryna Mykytka from Schtschyrez also stresses the importance of candour when communicating with partners. She explains that she is in daily contact with colleagues in the partner towns, sometimes several times a day. “Human contact with the people you work with is unique and you never forget it. They aren’t just partners: they are our friends and, in a certain way, our family,” she adds.

This advice can help other districts to collaborate more effectively and build successful and lasting partnerships.

The town of Radomyshl in the Zhytomyr region faced a similar challenge in having to take in large numbers of internally displaced persons. Radomyshl is near the Kyiv region, and fighting took place only 30km away. At the start of the Russian war of aggression over 5,000 internally displaced persons came to Radomyshl, equivalent to a fifth of the total population of Radomyshl and its surrounding villages. They were put up in schools and hospitals and every village president in the Radomyshl district made spaces available for internally displaced persons. Local residents also opened their doors to refugees. The local hospital shouldered most of the burden of caring for the wounded.

Olena Yatskivska is head of the Department for Economic Development in Radomyshl town council. She looks back with great gratitude on how their municipal partner of Lindlar responded so thoroughly and swiftly to provide support in those difficult times. The partnership between Radomyshl and Lindlar had only got underway in the summer of 2022. “Lindlar was looking for a suitable partner district in Ukraine so were advised to get in touch with Engagement Global,” recalls the Mayor of Lindlar Dr Georg Ludwig. Radomyshl and Lindlar share much in common, such as populations of similar sizes, comparable geography, natural sights and attractiveness for tourists. Lindlar has been sending aid to Radomyshl since the summer of 2022, including vehicles, medical equipment and generators.

“The first project we completed together was a school bus. There was an urgent need for that kind of bus in Radomyshl, as the district gave its buses to the Ukrainian army when war broke out, but the children from the villages still had to get to school every day. We explained that to our German partners and we soon received a bus,” recalls Olena Yatskivska.

The story of the bus is one of the most animated memories of the partnership for Mayor Ludwig from Lindlar. “We’re a small district with limited staff. When we managed to deliver the bus it was a sign that we could do more and that we could offer even more help,” he explains.

Olena Yatskivska gratefully recalls how the mayor of Lindlar personally spent five hours in his own car from driving from Germany to France to pick up two powerful generators which were urgently needed in Radomyshl at that time. “The French generators proved to be significantly better quality than those available in our district,” she says. “One of the generators ensured it was possible to continue the uninterrupted operation of our mains water system.”

With financial support from Engagement Global’s Service Agency, Lindlar and Radomyshl have already carried out six projects. Radomyshl received four vehicles from their German partner town in addition to the school bus. “These include two ambulances and a bus for our social centre which distributes aid to certain groups of people in Radomyshl, as well as being able to take humanitarian aid out into the district. The vehicles supplied by Lindlar are also occasionally used for other community purposes, such as taking humanitarian aid to Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and bringing back the coffins of the fallen,” explains Olena Yatskivska.

“After successfully completing small projects together, we saw that we could carry out a project which would have a longer-term impact,” says Georg Ludwig. Lindlar and Radomyshl are currently applying for support from Nakopa, the Service Agency programme to support sustainable municipal development through partnership projects. Through this project they hope to receive financial support to improve the energy efficiency of the public hospital in Radomyshl. This will require the replacement of old heating pipes. “The hospital loses a lot of energy, so modernising it is necessary from an environmental perspective,” explains Mayor Ludwig.

Olena Yatskivska well understands that projects on the level of Nakopa are complex in terms of planning and delivery, and will incur considerable operational burdens on the German partner district. On behalf of Radomyshl she expresses her deep gratitude to the mayor of Lindlar and his colleagues, who are happy to put their time and energy into carrying out projects of this kind. “The Nakopa project we are applying for is the highest level of a co-operative partnership. If we don’t get approval for funding it won’t be easy, but it will still be a valuable experience for us”, Yatskivska says.

The Radomyshl community is drawing inspiration and enthusiasm from their German partners around developing their town and supporting internally displaced persons. The district is currently home to around 2,200 refugees from the war, who are being encouraged to set up their own businesses. A business hub was established in Radomyshl in autumn 2022 to provide training and advice to businesspeople on writing applications, applying for grants and setting up their own businesses. The hub was opened with support from the U-LEAD with Europe programme and the United Nations embassy in Ukraine. “Initially local businesspeople held certain reservations about the idea, but when the first businessman accessed state funding thanks to advice of this kind, interest in our support shot up,” explains Olena Yatskivska.

So far the Radomyshl Business Hub has helped over 30 businesses to access funding. “The local projects which have received support include opening a shop, education services, setting up bee hives, flour production and many more. We’re starting new businesses while the war is still going on,” says Olena Yatskivska. “We're currently planning to expand the services at our Business Hub.”

Olena Yatskivska stresses that the key to her district’s success in international collaboration is the “proactive approach” taken by the Radomyshl administration. “My advice to any municipality which wants to expand international collaborations is to take the initiative yourselves. There are currently many different forums for municipalities to participate in, and I’d urge you to get involved in them.” In addition, Olena Yatskivska recommends always keeping a few projects up your sleeve, ideas that the municipality wants to implement and which can be offered when potential partners express an interest in collaborating.

Eberhardt Ludwig also points out how clearly the Radomyshl administration stated their needs and how well they justified them, which is helpful when looking for donors. “The administration of the German municipality can help with donations, so I would advise Ukrainian partners to explain their needs on the basis of concrete examples, such as renovating and operating schools and hospitals,” he adds.

Author: Emiliia Dieniezhna, November 2023.