To improve the living conditions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Vinnytsia Region, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Mission in Ukraine, delivered 40 washing machines and 40 dryers to collective centres and communities hosting IDPs. The assistance was made possible due to funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and close cooperation with the Vinnytsia Regional State Administration, the Vinnytsia Region Council, and the Vinnytsia City Council. Now 15 collective centres in the city of Vinnytsia and another 25 centres in communities across the region will be better equipped to meet daily needs of displaced populations.

“Through this assistance, combined with the distribution of much-needed hygiene items, we aim to provide more comfortable and dignified conditions to people facing prolonged displacement”, said Yulia Sybirianska, IOM Vinnytsia Hub Lead. “IOM also provides blankets, mattresses, towels and other non-food items and will soon start refurbishment of IDP collective centres.”

Currently, almost 170,000 internally displaced persons are registered in the Vinnytsia Region. Of those, over 52,000 are children and almost 1,500 are people with disabilities.

The chairman of the Vinnytsia Region Council Vyacheslav Sokolovyi noted that during the hundred days since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the influx of IDPs led to more than 10 per cent increase of the population in the region. “While the communities are doing their best to accommodate people seeking shelter, international support is crucial for creating proper living conditions," said Vinnytsia Regional Council Chairman, Vyacheslav Sokolovyi.

"We are grateful to the international organizations that stand with us. We will do our best to promptly provide them with all the necessary information about the situation of IDPs in the communities for timely and needs-based assistance," said the Deputy Mayor of Vinnytsia, Halyna Yakubovych.