“These are important aspirations in which we will support Mariupol”, – The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine
Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko and the head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine Machey Yanchak discussed further cooperation at the miting in Kyiv. The occupation of Mariupol takes almost two years, so the most acute topic that worries Mariupol ptople is the lack of housing. It became the main topic during this meeting.
Since 2022, the Mariupol Municipality team began to develop a plan for the city restoration - Mariupol Reborn. In order to avoid as many mistakes as possible, the experience is taken over from European cities that have been revived after the war. But until Mariupol is released from the enemy, it is necessary to create the conditions for living Mariupol people in other communities. Other major projects include a new transparent model of cooperation for the creation of social housing for Mariupol. This is an example of an effective partnership between the Government of Ukraine, municipalities and international partners. These are the opportunity to attract additional investments and close the immediate needs of people who have literally lost everything.
The pilot project is a dormitory in the Dnieper, which is converted for temporary housing, has already been inhabited. In 2023, 35 Mariupol families received certificates of residence and keys st the grand opening of housing, which is 127 people. Along the way, the Mariupol City Council was supported by the French government and Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov. Thus, in particular, the Akhmetov Foundation has financed the arrangement in the dormitories of shared zones, the power grid helps to restore DTEK, and Ukrtelecom provides a working high-speed Internet.
Today, the team of Mariupol City Council and Mariupol Reborn already have agreements with partners on several other facilities. The repair of two dormitories in the Dnipro, where one of the largest Mariupol communities lives. Locations in Kropyvnytskyi and Zaporizhzhia - at the stage of projection.
Today, Mariupol Reborn has many partners in different directions. But now we have a successful case of transformation of old dormitories into new modern temporary housing for Mariupol. Due to the full-scale invasion of russia into the Ukrainian land, the inhabitants of Mariupol lost everything and only in our hands now to help people. That is why every partnership is a chance to make a more comfortable life of a few dozen of our people
Finding partners for temporary housing reconstruction is the most difficult stage. Today, there is a need for partnership for several buildings in different corners of Ukraine. Among them are two dormitories in Chernivtsi region and one in Ivano-Frankivsk. In total, nearly four hundred Mariupols who were forced to leave their hometown through war and occupation by the enemy can live in them.
The distribution of housing occurs by the point system. Families of military personnel and prisoners of war, released from captivity and their families, families of fallen and dead defenders and defenders of Ukraine, many children and low-income families will receive first priority.
Thank for the work that the team of Mariupol municipality is done. Promotion of legislative initiatives and implementation of democratic principles of work are important aspirations in which we will support Mariupol
According to the results of the meeting, Vadym Boichenko and Machey Yanchak agreed to create working groups that will continue to work on joint projects.
The Mariupol Reborn project is being implemented by the Mariupol City Council with the investment support of Rinat Akhmetov's SCM.
