B50 Community takes up the task of transforming the new bomb shelter!

Volunteers of B50 have a new task – to transform the storage of the Borodianka pre-school (nursery-kindergarten) institution “Kolosochok” (“Spikelet”), which is attended by more than 120 children.

Why did we choose this location?

We were impressed by the story of the institution from the half-ruined Borodianka, the terrible footage of which went around the world… There were brutal air strikes here, so all the residents are well aware of the importance of bomb shelters to save lives. During the occupation, more than a hundred people (from infants to pensioners) lived in this shelter.

Zoia Malko, Director of the kindergarten:

“Our kindergarten was the first to start working after the occupation. We were happy to invite preschool children from all over the community to our kindergarten, and created comfortable conditions for the children and staff. The protective shelter is now working not only for the kindergarten, but also for the population. Due to the lack of funds, the community does not finance repairs to the shelters, so we try to do everything on our own and involve volunteers. We want to make the shelter comfortable to stay in, to make the room brighter and more attractive."

What are we doing?

The transformation will take place in three areas of the shelter: the large room where the children are actually staying (60 square meters), the hallway (25 square meters) and the entrance area (30 square meters). In all the rooms we are going to repair: plaster the walls, paint the walls and ceiling; in the large room we also need to improve the lighting system, and in the large room and corridor we need to insulate the heating pipes. After the repairs are completed, volunteers from Shelters Project will cover the walls of all the rooms with unique drawings.

Who is funding the bomb shelter’s transformation?

To fund this project, the B50 Community managed to involve partners. The team at TakeOff headquarters in Malta heard from their Ukrainian colleagues about their initiative to help us with the shelter in Nova Hreblia and wanted to join the good cause. Team leaders Giulia Dalmonte and Oleksii Yakushevskyi organized an internal fundraising campaign and raised 1000 euros to renovate the shelter in Borodianka. The fundraising lasted about two weeks, and 16 benefactors were involved, who made donations ranging from 20 to 200 euros.

What is happening in the shelter now?

B50 volunteers started preparing for the work.