© Helvetas

LOCALIZATION: EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES TO DRIVE RECOVERY

© Helvetas
  • Project Name
    Supporting community led shelter assistance in Eastern Ukraine
  • Project Phase
    November 2023 to December 2024
  • Funding
    Swiss Solidarity
  • Thematic focus
    Voice, Inclusion & Cohesion

In 2024, Helvetas implemented the project «Supporting community led shelter assistance in Eastern Ukraine» primarily aimed at supporting local civil society organisations engaged in reconstruction. The project was carried out as part of Switzerland’s support to Ukraine through Swiss Solidarity.

Impact in Numbers

56000+

people from Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk regions received targeted humanitarian aid for reconstruction   

1000+

local volunteers and activists in the field of humanitarian response received support in capacity building of their organizations   

125

grants have been provided to CSOs to assist with the reconstruction of infrastructure in affected communities   

85,6%

recipients of assistance within the grants are satisfied with the quality of the repair and restoration work carried out

Helvetas’ Experience in Strengthening Community Capacity

The war in Ukraine has created unprecedented challenges, including the damage or complete destruction of thousands of public infrastructure facilities. Fully restoring all the country’s destroyed schools, kindergartens, hospitals, water-supply stations and energy infrastructure requires immense resources. Helvetas therefore chose a difficult but strategically sound course: to strengthen the capacity of local civil society organisations to lead community reconstruction and to share proven approaches and best practice gained by Helvetas in other countries.

Thanks to the project, over 56,000 people have seen their quality of life improve: light and medium repairs were carried out in apartment blocks and private homes, at public infrastructure sites and shelters for internally displaced persons; bomb shelters were equipped; and water supply and wastewater systems were restored.

The works were delivered with the involvement of local contractors and tradespeople, supporting the community’s economy.

Thanks to the construction of an underground shelter, a Kharkiv gymnasium can now run a hybrid learning programme — on-site and online.
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«This shelter is one of the most robust in the district and can now accommodate up to 124 people thanks to the new ventilation system,» says school principal Oksana.
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The home where music teacher Kateryna lives with her two children was under occupation and was damaged in 2022 — the roof was peppered with shrapnel.
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«It’s incredible luck that the «Nove Misto» foundation and Helvetas are helping me. I’m very, very grateful, because I couldn’t have managed on my own.»
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Community-led Solutions

Working with local authorities and residents, Helvetas identified priorities and directed resources where they were needed most. To put solutions into practice, 125 grants were awarded for recovery projects delivered by local organisations.

Over 1,000 volunteers and activists strengthened their civil society organisations through training in project management, procurement, monitoring and evaluation. In addition, 40 CSOs received dedicated grants for institutional development, and 15 were supported to conduct a financial audit.

As a result, 31.9% of organisations reported improved access to funding, and 51.1% reported better access to national and international forums.

Drawing on several years of implementing recovery projects, the Helvetas team initiated the development of Methodological Guidelines that give practical advice to CSOs on engaging with local authorities and donors, running procurement, preparing reports and, crucially, delivering projects successfully with demonstrable results.