The experience of B50 Restoration – in the study of recovery initiatives

Our B50 Restoration program, which deals with the reconstruction and elimination of the consequences of the war, was included in the “Study of post-war recovery initiatives” as one of the first initiatives in the Kyiv region to start cleaning and restoring the newly liberated communities..

The study was conducted by experts from the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology at the initiative of the ISAR Ednannia NGO. The purpose of the study is to map and identify the needs of civil society organizations working in the field of recovery and to develop recommendations on the optimal format for supporting priority projects.

The researchers came to the following conclusions, among others:

• despite the fact that the war is ongoing, the recovery process in Ukraine is taking place in 27 areas (at least). These include: rebuilding and repairing housing and infrastructure, assessing the extent of damage and needs in Ukraine as a result of the war, creating digital products/information systems, analytical centers, coordination/expert platforms to support recovery, advocating for the principles of “green recovery,” expert support to the central government and local governments in the recovery process, etc;
• the “engine” of reconstruction is now mainly the communities themselves, which finance reconstruction at their own expense or attract donor funds and international assistance;
• the next large group is civil society organizations (CSOs), such as our B50 volunteer community. The role of the public sector in the recovery is quite large, because some problems, such as housing repairs, were solved much faster by volunteers and activists. The state came to this conclusion only a year after the liberation of the communities (and so far only in a test mode);
• the biggest need of civil society organizations at the moment is a clear structuring of the reconstruction process and the development of a national strategy. This will allow for a coordinated restoration of different areas.

B50 is pleased to realize that experts highly appreciate the activities of our community, and the analysis of the experience of volunteers from the B50 Restoration program forms the basis of recommendations for the state!

This is a fair expert assessment of the B50’s impact in the field of recovery, because:

• over 18 months, we organized 273 volunteer events in the category of “rebuilding and repairing housing, educational, medical and social infrastructure”;
• during the activity, B50 volunteers eliminated the destruction of 169 private houses, repaired 21 private houses, repaired and decorated 7 children’s shelters at educational institutions in de-occupied communities;
• our community was born in the first days of the full-scale invasion of russian troops and began its activities by cleaning up the destruction in Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, Vorzel, Moshchun, Borodianka, Makariv, Horenka, Hostomel, etc;
• currently, B50 volunteer teams are providing assistance in various ways – dismantling destroyed housing, repairing damaged homes, reconstructing infrastructure facilities, etc;
• B50’s mission is to restore communities affected by russia’s invasion of Ukraine, strengthen their capacities and minimize the consequences of the war.