In February 2022 Kyiv oblast was among the first to feel the brunt of Russia’s unjustified and brutal invasion. Russia’s troops eventually withdrew from the region, but they left behind a devastated landscape. Countless towns and villages that before the war were heavens of peace and tranquility were reduced to rubble with houses robbed and destroyed. For the people who once called these places home, the question of how to return and rebuild loomed large. Where do they go? How can they recover what they have lost?
Uliana Dzhurliak, an architect and researcher specializing in social and cooperative housing, recognized that her expertise could be valuable in addressing these urgent needs. From the outset of the war, Uliana with colleagues had been developing solutions for internally displaced persons to resettle in safe and comfortable conditions. This eventually led her to join the NEST Initiative launched by the USAID/ENGAGE partner Serhiy Prytula charitable foundation as a project manager. “Joining NEST was both a challenge and an opportunity for me to help people,” she recalls.
The NEST initiative allows people who lost their homes due to war to get a free temporary mobile home and install it on their own property. Once delivered and assembled, mobile houses only need to be connected to existing communications. The houses can be installed without a capital foundation and are suitable for winter and summer climates. Additionally, they are equipped with everything necessary for comfortable living – heat and air, bathroom, kitchen, furniture, basic household appliances and textiles.
NEST has been collaborating with the Makariv territorial community of the Kyiv oblast, which has been significantly impacted by Russia’s invasion: in the first months of the war, Russia`s forces destroyed the houses of 585 local families. NEST has already successfully delivered and assembled 16 mobile houses, enabling families to return to their homes and begin rebuilding their lives, with 20 more being installed. Looking ahead, the NEST team plans to expand its efforts to other regions of Ukraine, including Kharkiv and Kherson oblasts, as well as other de-occupied territories.
“Our goal is to create decent living conditions for families who have lost everything, including their homes. By providing these families with a new NEST house, we aim to ensure they can immediately move in and enjoy the comfort and security of their new home,” says Uliana.
The cooperation between NEST and USAID/ENGAGE has been instrumental for the project to attract more funding and introduce adaptive operational changes to make their work more effective. “The more funds we raise, the more families will return to their nests,” explains Uliana.
The ultimate goal of NEST is to rebuild the country. The team’s efforts extend beyond providing temporary housing solutions to restoring the full functionality of communities in de-occupied territories. “Our mission is to restore a sense of belonging and identity for those who have lost their homes to Russia’s aggression. We understand that a home is not just a physical structure but rather a place that concentrates families, memories, and lives. Russia took more than just a brick box,” says Uliana. “With this understanding, the NEST initiative is committed to bringing homes back to Ukrainians”.