EU and UNDP support local volunteers helping Kharkiv prepare for winter

The European Union and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently provided local volunteer groups in Kharkiv with construction materials and tool kits to install proper insulation in the windows of 83 apartments of multistorey buildings that were damaged by shelling. 

For people living in those apartments,  the insulation can make the difference between life and death, said Jaco Cilliers, interim UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine: “When the temperatures drop below zero, people can freeze to death. Having proper insulation is especially important with the rolling power cuts.”

Youth Council Coordinator Anatolii Bessonov said he was inspired by the sheer number of volunteers that turned up for the effort. “Young people are ready to join the reconstruction process, to rebuild the country in which they live,” he said. “All they need is some support and guidance. We are grateful to UNDP and the EU for supporting our initiatives, and for helping us to gradually rebuild our beloved Kharkiv.”

Find out more

Press release