OpenDoorUkraine.NL is pleased to announce that the pilot project for the reconstruction of the village of Novoselivka, Chernihiv Oblast, has begun. Over the next few months we plan to build 5 to 6 fully equipped houses of approximately 60 square meters each. This project is fully financed by crowdfunding and is implemented in close cooperation with local Ukrainian partners.
Novoselivka is in urgent need of reconstruction as the village has suffered devastating destruction. When Russian forces invaded in February 2022, they immediately moved to capture the strategically important city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine. The village of Novoselivka is located on the outskirts of the city. The village, which had a population of about 800, was of no strategic importance, but when the fighting for Chernihiv began it became the front line of resistance against the Russian invader. For five harrowing weeks, Novoselivka bore the brunt of the shelling in the war against the illegal Russian occupying forces. When the latter withdrew in early April 2022, many buildings in Novoselivka were destroyed beyond repair.
The fate of this small village has certainly not gone unnoticed by the local experts we rely on to identify potential new reconstruction projects. We really wanted to help this village that had suffered so terribly under the Russian invader. However, this was easier said than done. Most of our reconstruction projects focus on repairing damaged buildings. Yet there were hardly any buildings left standing in Novoselivka. How do you go about rebuilding an entire village from scratch?
We have found the solution in building houses made of Structured Insulated Panels (SIP). Such buildings are relatively easy to construct due to their prefabricated nature. In accordance with our reconstruction standards, we work with a Ukrainian supplier of SIP panels and the majority of the building materials used are produced locally. The houses are built in an ecological fast-build style using Neopor SIP panels with a high insulation capacity, using EU-certified materials and according to EU standards for permanent housing. Each unit will cover a total of approximately 59 square meters and is fully equipped with a kitchen, a bathroom, a boiler, a stove and heating. The estimated lead time for each home, including interior work, is approximately 1.5 months. As it stands now, we plan to build a total of 5 to 6 houses.
For more information about this project, please contact our program manager Julia Skripka at skripka.j@gmail.com .