Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Vinnytska Oblast has accommodated around 170,000 internally displaced persons, predominantly from Donetska and Kharkivska oblasts. Additionally, 270 businesses, comprising 156 individual entrepreneurs and 114 legal entities, have relocated to Vinnytsia since the outbreak of the full-scale war. The new life of these IDPs and businesses primarily depends on their efforts and the support from the civil society, businesses, and local authorities. Eleonora Rudenko, regional coordinator of the United Voices in Action* program in Vinnytska Oblast, elaborates on how the IDP Council contributes to this process.
What are the key issues IDPs need to address?
There is a multitude of issues, and I will highlight a few. Sadly, most preschools in our oblast lack bomb shelters, restricting parents from sending their children to kindergarten and impeding their ability to work. Frequent queries to our legal team revolve around social benefits, housing assistance, and other entitlements. Injustice in benefit calculation is a common complaint. For instance, IDPs who relocated to our region post-2022 receive benefits, whereas those residing since 2014 have had their payments discontinued.
Other urgent issues encompass pensions and compensation for damaged or destroyed property. Restoration of documents is another significant concern, as many individuals who fled from conflict zones like Mariupol did not have the opportunity to gather their documents.
Where are IDPs housed in your oblast?
Currently, there are 92 Collective Centers (CCs) in Vinnytska Oblast, housing approximately 3,700 individuals. In Vinnytsia, there are 8 such centers located within educational institutions, like colleges or universities, accommodating nearly 800 people, of which around 200 are children.
What assistance do IDPs receive in your oblast?
Numerous local and international organizations operate within Vinnytsia and the oblast, providing two types of humanitarian aid: targeted support and organization of Collective Centers. While the volume of this aid has declined, the United Voices in Action program is gaining traction in our oblast. Our legal team provides frequent consultations, seminars, and meetings.
We also conduct trainings for IDPs to foster unity and enhance communication skills, aiding their adaptation to the new environment. Encouraging a sense of belonging and solidarity positively impacts integration.
Could you explain the benefits of the trainings and seminars conducted by your legal team?
Last month, we conducted several such events, including a seminar on the Istanbul Convention and discussions on social benefits, clarifying individual rights, application processes, and nuances. One of the engaging topics was about travelling abroad, where participants enquired about travel with children and documentation. This meeting was attended by many people, both men and women. We elaborated extensively on all the legislative mechanisms in operation.
Besides legal training and seminars, what are the other initiatives of the United Voices in Action program?
We are planning an integration event for children under the program and actively engaging with the authorities to establish an IDP Council in the city. I believe that development will significantly contribute to IDP integration.
Could you provide more details on the operations of the IDP Council and the issues it will address?
The IDP Council serves as a platform for collaboration between IDPs and local authorities. It will enable IDPs to resolve local issues more effectively and participate in decision-making. Again, we emphasize the importance of IDP integration into local communities as their concerns vary widely due to the sheer number of new arrivals. Through the IDP Council, we aim to highlight and address these issues within the community more effectively.
How crucial is the establishment of such a council for Vinnytska Oblast?
The creation of an IDP Council is extremely pertinent in our city. While we do have interagency councils in our city and oblast that deal with IDP integration, they predominantly consist of local self-government heads. The inclusion of IDPs, the primary stakeholders of these groups, remains low. However, it’s crucial to understand that no one understands the intricacies of these issues better than the IDPs themselves, and as such, they are in the best position to propose effective solutions.
Therefore, an IDP Council would be crucial for our city. Vinnytsia has been home to IDPs since 2014, although their numbers were much smaller then. With the recent increase in IDP numbers, the range of issues has broadened, and it’s more important than ever to involve IDPs in their resolution. We currently have an initiative group of IDPs eager to participate in the Council’s activities.
Could you provide more details about the initiative group that established the IDP Council? Who are its members, how many are they, and where are they from?
Presently, we have slightly more than ten members who are active IDPs engaged in various events and programs. Some of these members are IDPs who relocated and founded their own civil society organizations active in the city and oblast. They hail from places like Kherson, Mariupol, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia but are united by a common goal and shared issues.
In what other ways does United Voices in Action assist IDPs?
In Vinnytsia, we launched a manual for use by IDPs, local government representatives, and all stakeholders involved in IDP affairs. This guide comprises twelve sections of developments and recommendations addressing IDP registration certificates, housing allowances, state benefits acquisition mechanisms, and civil registration, among other issues. We also covered issues related to children and youth.
This valuable guide, which can be accessed digitally via the United Voices in Action website, is the product of our legal team’s analysis of over 80 legal acts related to IDPs.
A regional forum on IDP integration was recently convened in Vinnytsia. What topics were discussed, and what issues were resolved?
The most significant accomplishment of this forum, I believe, is that we were able to convey to the authorities the need for an IDP Council in our oblast. The forum witnessed the participation of representatives from different levels of government, local self-government, civil society, educational institutions, and other entities, such as the city employment center. The discussions spanned from social support for IDPs to access to primary and additional education. Success stories of relocated businesses and solutions for IDP housing problems were also shared. A key highlight was the discussion of a construction project in Vinnytsia, where a multi-story building is being erected by the IDPs themselves, and additional education opportunities for adults that lead to employment were actively explored.
You brought up retraining. Are IDPs currently able to acquire new skills in practice? Are educational services available to them?
Yes, two educational institutions are currently providing such services. One of them offers three-month courses in professions such as hairdressing, baking, and pastry making. The other institution offers courses for jewelers, turners, locksmiths, and more.
The range of available courses is quite diverse, enabling IDPs to acquire additional education and thereby improve their chances of finding employment within their new communities.
Source: Vezha