To date, according to official data alone, Kryvyi Rih has hosted 65 thousand internally displaced persons. Ninel Sydorenko, coordinator of the IDP Council in Kryvyi Rih, told us how IDPs work for themselves and for the city, and what has been done for them by the team of the United Voices in Action program, implemented by IREX in Ukraine in partnership with the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” with the support of the U.S. Department of State.
On first response
I am an internally displaced person since 2014, so I went through this path from A to Z. At one time, I came to Kryvyi Rih—the city where the headquarters has already been established. They told me how to register, where to get humanitarian aid, where to go for accommodation, how to get a certificate and social benefits. That is, the IDPs assistance mechanism had already been developed.
Kryvyi Rih and Dnipropetrovsk region are used to working with internally displaced persons. In 2014, there were 18 thousand registered IDPs in Kryvyi Rih, now there are 65 thousand (and more than 75 thousand of those unregistered, according to our estimates). This is a huge number of people who need help. Not everyone knows where to apply.
On February 24, when the full-scale invasion began, the city was ready to work. We, the IDP Council representatives, public activists, were already sitting at the deputy mayor’s office that day and were updating the scheme of support for IDPs with the necessary amendments. We wanted to be as ready as possible to provide the first comprehensive response.
On the problems of IDPs
The problems have definitely changed. In 2014, people from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, many workers of mines and metallurgical plants were displaced. They had to be offered suitable jobs at industrial enterprises in the region. Universities were also transferring. We looked for premises for them, made repairs, and helped to launch the educational process.
The IDPs of 2014 said: “Let us obtain the first social payments, and we will look for housing and work”. Now we are hosting many IDPs from Kherson region. They have a different request: “Give us a house and a land plot, we will cultivate, grow crops”.
The basic issues are naturally the same for everyone. People arrive without belongings, they need time to come to their senses. All of them first arrive at the IDP reception point. There they see a psychologist, social workers, lawyers, if they need to restore documents. This is the first response, it is no different from the one that was in 2014.
On the modular town
We have a modular town for IDPs in our city. According to the plan, it is a transit point where internally displaced persons should stay no more than three months, during which they should solve urgent issues. The town is designed for more than 200 places.
It is important to know that Kryvyi Rih is a very long city, stretching for 126 kilometers. It has a slogan of a “Lifelong City”. We joke that by the time you get somewhere, your life will have already passed. The modular town is located on the outskirts, very far from the center, so it is difficult for residents to participate in any city events.
My attitude to the modular town is somewhat subjective. As an IDP myself, I understand that we should not shut ourselves up in one place with the same problems. You have to move on: you have to find a job, restore your mental state, proceed with self-realization. You need to bring yourself back to life. You will not be left alone with the trouble, we have a lot of different organizations that help the IDPs, in particular, the United Voices in Action program allows IDPs to receive free legal advice on issues related to the restoration of lost documents, receiving IDP benefits, etc. Therefore, in my opinion, the residents should go beyond the modular town as soon as possible and integrate into the community.
On Kryvyi Rih IDP Council
At one of the forums, I listened to a representative of Zaporizhzhia IDP Council: she spoke about the activities in their region. My colleagues and I were very interested in the story, because we realized that we also need to create such a council.
What is it? The IDP Council is an advisory body in which the city authorities, public activists and IDPs cooperate. Together they solve the problems that are relevant for IDPs. For example, in the dormitory where IDPs were accommodated, the utility bills were calculated incorrectly. People could not afford to pay such a large amount of money, so they approached the IDP Council, which helped to solve this issue.
Our work helped to engage IDPs in various thematic city programs. The synergy of the city authorities, public activists and IDPs gives great results. The work of Kryvyi Rih Council is now also supported by the United Voices in Action program, so we can help people even more. Even our mayor now says: “Nothing for IDPs—without IDPs”.
On what has been achieved so far
We were the first in Ukraine to implement a financial assistance program for war-affected children. The program participants receive 5 thousand hryvnias per child with such status once a year. At first we monitored the needs of IDPs with children. We asked adults what they would spend the financial assistance on if they received it for their children. As a result, we made a list of needs. Then this initiative was quite difficult to formalize legally. But we managed it. And even now, in the most difficult time, payments under the program continue. And we, the IDP Council representatives, are incredibly proud of this.
We participated in the campaign for the IDPs voting rights. We spoke about it so loudly that even our mayor wrote a letter in which he urged to provide the IDPs with their legal constitutional right—to vote. At the session, the city deputies unanimously supported this urge. It was incredibly nice to see that the city that took us in united to give us back the right to vote.
Thanks to the IDP Council, several kindergartens have been repaired in the city. Now another one is being repaired. Kryvyi Rih kept several apartments for IDPs, and one floor of a dormitory was renovated and provided for accommodation. It was important for us to provide housing for the oldest IDPs. Now the elderly live in that dormitory in a friendly company, get together, talk, sing, support each other. You should have seen how they cried when they were handed the keys to those apartments!
In December, we came to the mayor with a message that the Ministry of Reintegration provides funds under the 50/50 scheme for the purchase of apartments. The mayor said: “We are in!”. We quickly prepared the necessary documents, applied for participation and in the last days of the year implemented this project—the purchase of housing for IDPs.
On teamwork
I was lucky with the team—IDP councils from different regions are very supportive of each other. I came with a proposal to create a council to the City Council Deputy Head. The plans and arguments that I had were so to the point, that I got the consent very quickly. It’s cool when you have a powerful team behind you that gives you wings to work.
Back in the early stages of the work, my colleague stated: “IDPs are not an anchor, but a resource”. This has further become the rule for working with IDPs throughout the city. We became the real driving force for change in Kryvyi Rih.
It is wrong to take a posture and blame everyone for your troubles. It is necessary to convey your opinion correctly—officials like clarity. At first, we were knocking the door of the City Executive Committee down, very clearly telling what we needed. Gradually, we have shaped a great synergy with the city authorities, the parties trust each other.
The authorities will not solve the problems that you have not voiced. For the authorities to understand what you need, you should talk about it. You cannot sit at home and complain that everything is bad. I mean, you can, of course, but then nothing will change. Explain what you need, be ready to work yourself, demand it from others. Let’s remember that everything starts with us!
Do you want to create an IDP council in your community? Find out how to do it by contacting via@radnyk.org.