Investohills Support Center in Zaporizhia Provided Accommodation for about 700 IDPs over One Year of Its Operation
Over the first year of operation, Investohills’ IDP Support Center provided shelter to 700 IDPs, including 160 children and disabled people. Andriy Volkov, founder and managing partner of Investohills Group, which opened the Center in April last year, disclosed these numbers.
“We decided to set up the Support Center when russians started destroying Mariupol. At that time, our employees helped evacuate people from Mariupol and other “hot spots”, so we realized the scale of the problem,” Andriy Volkov tells.
“I came to Zaporizhia on April 26, and we sheltered the first IDP from Melitopol on April 28. Lots of people were accommodated here in May,” Mykola Horodenskyi, director of the Investohills Support Center, recalls.
According to him, Investohills Group converted the building into a shelter within a short time frame and beautified the surrounding area.
“We replaced electrical wiring, rebuilt the sewerage, and installed a new water pipe. We built eight shower cabins. Also, we purchased beds and other furniture,” Mykola Horodenskyi says.
According to Andriy Volkov, transforming an office building into a shelter cost the Group over UAH 2 million. Connecting to the heating system took UAH 360,000 more. The roof renovation was supported by the UN mission.
The Center’s founders and volunteers provided clothing and basic necessities to the IDPs and built a fitness ground and a playground for children. Then, psychologists began to work with children; artists and choreographers started offering their classes.
No one charged any fees or rent from the Center’s residents.
According to Mykola Horodenskyi, up to 140 people could live in the shelter simultaneously before December last year. After December 15, the number of residents decreased due to the checkpoint closure in Vasylivka of Zaporizhia Oblast. Today, the shelter houses about 60 residents from Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Kherson Oblasts.
According to Volkov, plans call for the continued operation of the Center.
“We will keep helping people who had to live their homes as long as necessary,” the founder emphasizes.