IDPs in Hostomel, Bucha district, get accustomed to their new home, now powered by a generator procured with UHF funding

As part of a project funded by the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund, UNOPS has delivered a large-capacity electricity generator to Hostomel, Bucha district, where it will power a modular centre for internally displaced people

Volodymyr Havrysh, the centre warden says: “The centre’s infrastructure, including heating, hot water, lighting, and cooking facilities, depends on electricity. Considering that we sometimes had power outages of over 10 hours, a sufficiently powerful generator was a critical need. If it weren’t here, the centre’s rooms would cool down to 10°C.” 

UNOPS delivered the 200kVA diesel generator in January. The Kyiv oblast military administration coordinated the delivery process, while the Hostomel village military administration installed the generator and now provides fuel for it.

The modular centre was handed over in 2022 by the Polish Governmental Strategic Reserves Agency. It is equipped to provide permanent residence to people who have lost their homes. Stable electricity supply is a critical precondition for the centre to function, and its residents faced household difficulties following continuous Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. 

The displaced people staying at the centre used to live in multi-apartment buildings near the Hostomel airport, which was a hotspot of fighting from the very first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Their houses are deemed irreparable and are slated for demolition. For the foreseeable future, the modular centre is going to be their home. Despite what they have been through, the people hold on with dignity and support each other.  

The modular centre residents say that the centre has got all the basics covered. They used to have a small generator, which could not cover all the centre needs. Since January, when the new generator was delivered, things have become more stable. 

Volodymyr Havrysh, who also volunteers for the Help Hostomel fund, takes care of the comfort and daily needs of the modular centre’s residents. Among other things, he makes sure the generator is functioning properly and monitors its fuel tank. Volodymyr also works with charitable organisations to engage all possible sources of assistance and cover the residents’ needs. “I want to make the centre feel like a proper home, eliminating some of the issues the people here are facing,” he says.

Anna Shalimova, UNOPS Ukraine project manager, remarks: “I am amazed by the resilience and joyous attitude of the centre residents. Despite the challenges they face, they remain optimistic. Our project continues to work for the benefit of the most war-affected communities around Ukraine, bringing them stable heat and electricity supply.”

The UNOPS Ukraine project "Strengthening Stability of Heating Supply for the Ukrainian Population'' funded by the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund is to provide more than 260 generators to strengthen the stability of heat and electrical energy supply to the population in the regions most affected by the war. The project is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure  Development of Ukraine and the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. The first batch of 25 generators have already been delivered in January to the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions. The Hostomel delivery is part of this first shipment.