Six social institutions in villages and towns of Donetsk region have recently reopened their doors for visitors after the refurbishment, funded by the European Union and conducted by IOM.

Over 28,000 local residents and about 3,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) will be able to benefit from services of culture clubs in Mykolaivka and Paraskoviivka, children and youth creativity centre in Chasiv Yar, music school in Oleksandrivka, ambulatory in Krasne and secondary school in Zorya.

Renovations included instalment of new roofs, windows and doors, upgrading heating systems, and refurbishment of concert halls. Audio and video equipment, interactive boards, computers and sewing machines were purchased on the EU expense to be used at master classes and other events contributing to the establishment of the trustful relationships between IDPs and local residents, and in general promoting the inclusion of diverse local population to the community activities.

EU and IOM support the integration of IDPs into host communities in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Odesa, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The initiative groups, consisting of both local residents and displaced people, selected local social institutions for renovation within the project. Local authorities also contributed to the refurbishment. In total, up to 70 culture clubs, libraries, secondary and music schools, and other social institutions are being re-opened to serve the needs of displaced people and local communities in six regions of Ukraine.

The project is implemented with the support of IOM partner NGO Western Ukrainian Resource Centre.