In Prykolotne, a Community Shelter Was Upgraded with Support from a Small Grant

Valerii Volodymyrovych Stanovskyi has been living in Prykolotne, Kupiansk district, for 36 years. He worked his entire life as a mechanic at a local sunflower oil production plant. His wife worked there as a technologist. The plant is now in ruins due to hostilities. Employment opportunities are extremely limited, yet people remain in their homes, maintain their households, and support one another in difficult times, especially when it comes to safety. Due to the lack of stable mobile communication, residents often learn about threats from each other.

When the community learned about the opportunity to apply for a small grant, Valerii Volodymyrovych immediately joined the initiative. Ideas varied, but the situation itself pointed to a clear priority.

“Something is constantly flying overhead every day. Drones are very dangerous. We have to go down to shelters quite often,” says Valerii Volodymyrovych.

As a result, the community decided to improve and equip a bomb shelter. One of the largest shelters in Prykolotne is the basement of a kindergarten. It contains small beds originally designed for children aged 3–4. However, it is used by elderly people and by bedridden patients evacuated from surrounding villages where staying is no longer possible.

“There are very long air raid alerts, sometimes lasting the entire day. When a four-storey residential building was destroyed, people were placed directly in the shelter. It was extremely difficult for them to stay on those beds for long periods,” recalls Valerii Volodymyrovych.

Therefore, the community decided to apply for funding to purchase furniture—beds and mattresses.

“Everyone helped us—from preparing the project to coordination. Together with the furniture manufacturer, we selected everything needed: beds, mattresses, and blankets. I personally visited the production site to ensure the quality and reliability of everything. Nothing went wrong, and the delivery was completed without delays. We are very grateful for this support, which is highly relevant for us and helps make life a little easier for people,” he says.

The man prefers not to be photographed, noting that meaningful actions speak for themselves and results matter more than appearances.

The project is implemented by the NGO “Responsible Citizens” in partnership with JERU – Joint Emergency Response in Ukraine (a joint initiative of Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide), with financial support from the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine (HFU) / United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA Ukraine).