Around 60% of the partially damaged houses in Kyselivka, Mykolaiv region, have been repaired following the end of the occupation

The building in Kyselivka where they plan to house a nursery, a health centre and administrative services for residents; photo by ‘NikVesti’

In the village of Kyselivka in the Mykolaiv region, which was under Russian occupation, 97 per cent of buildings were damaged or destroyed during the hostilities. In the three years since de-occupation, around 60 per cent of partially damaged homes have been restored.

This is reported in the article by NikVesti entitled «Without a school, there is no life». How do the most devastated villages in the Mykolaiv region live today?»

According to the village head, Ivan Volka, international organisations, charitable foundations, the state programme «eVidnovlennia» and donations of building materials played the biggest role in the reconstruction. The focus was mainly on restoring the so-called thermal envelope — roofs, windows and doors.

«We’ve probably managed to restore 60 per cent of the partially damaged houses,» said Ivan Volko.

Ivan Volko, village head of Kyselivka, photo by NikVesti

At the same time, he said, the main reconstruction project in Kyselivka remains the refurbishment of a two-storey building in the centre of the village. The plan is to house a nursery, a medical clinic and an administrative services centre there.

«We don’t have a clinic at the moment; we plan to set one up on the ground floor of this building. The first floor will house the nursery, and the ground floor will also accommodate the administrative centre,» explained the village head.

In effect, the village’s entire social infrastructure is to be concentrated in a single building.

Valentyna Lakota, head of the «Cinderella» nursery, explained that after several years of inactivity, they plan to partially reopen the nursery by 1 September.

«We hope to open a group by 1 September. There are currently 12 pre-school-aged children in the village. The Norwegian Council is helping us with the repairs,» she said.

According to Valentyna Lakota, over the last few years the children have effectively been without a nursery, although volunteers have regularly visited and organised various activities for them. Speaking about changes since the de-occupation, she notes that there have not been many so far.

«We haven’t seen many positive changes,» she said.

At the same time, she adds that the restoration of the educational infrastructure is a key prerequisite for the village’s future.

«If there’s no school and no nursery, there’ll be no life in the village.»

It is worth recalling that, four years after the Russian shelling, a reconstruction plan for Lyceum №48 in Mykolaiv has still not been drawn up. Part of the documentation was funded by charitable donors, but due to a lack of funds, work came to a halt at the initial stage. The city authorities hope to complete the project with the support of international partners.

Read also the article by NikVesti entitled «Living under plastic sheeting»: how the compensation scheme for destroyed homes works in the Mykolaiv region.