One of the priority tasks of the development of the Hnivan community according to its socio-economic development program for 2019-2021 was to create appropriate conditions for the comprehensive and full development of children, the formation and development of a healthy lifestyle. The territory of the community has a unique situation of the functioning of educational and social institutions on a common territory. The Hnivan Center for Social Services “Dzherelo” is located in part of one of the primary school buildings of the Supportive General Alternative School of Grades I-III No. 1 and next to it was an unequipped area ideal for creating a multifunctional recreation area, not only for clients of the “Dzherelo” Center and students, but also for all those who wish.

That is why the idea arose to equip a training and inclusive zone on this territory. The purpose of this project is to provide an opportunity for children and young people with functional limitations – clients of the department of socio-psychological rehabilitation of the Dzherelo center (12 people + another 11 in inclusive education at a neighboring school) to actively spend their leisure time and have fun outdoors, to engage in physical culture and sports for students of a local school (580 people) and other interested parties (2 thousand residents of the microdistrict) in conditions of free access by installing outdoor exercise machines and inclusive sports and game equipment (exercises machines, swings, sandboxes, chess table, etc.).

Joint games of healthy children and children with functional limitations have a positive effect on both one and the other. Together they actively learn about the world around them and have fun, as a result of which there is a chance to better adapt in society and open up to their personality. Every person should feel complete, even if they have certain health difficulties. At the same time, a tolerant attitude of fellow citizens towards people with disabilities is developing, and it is simply an active and pleasant way to spend time in a cozy, appropriately equipped yard.

Ternivska territorial community is a young, small rural community, which includes 9 villages with a total population of just over 5 thousand people. However, about 30% of the community’s residents are in SJO due to the lack of a permanent place of work, housing intended and suitable for living, physical and mental developmental disabilities, low income, unemployment of one of the family members, which negatively affects the fulfillment of parental duties, a lifestyle as a result of which one of the family members (person) partially or completely does not have the ability to independently take care of their personal life and participate in public life, etc. The organization of transport between villages, which is unstable and of poor quality, is also a problem.

Participation in the project contributed to the development of social services through the organization of its mobility, thereby accelerating the process of assessing needs for them and their provision, in particular, timely response to crisis cases (no more than one day to provide socio-psychological assistance to victims), their prevention and conducting information and educational activities. This goal was achieved by purchasing 1 car and 8 bicycles for social workers. In addition, to improve the quality of service provision, social workers were provided with the necessary equipment and materials, including furniture, office equipment (computer, printer), staff training was conducted, as well as an assessment of the needs for social services of residents of 9 villages of the TG.

6 preventive measures were conducted for groups of people in difficult life circumstances – trainings “Parenthood without stress”. And, in general, the target audience of the project was all vulnerable social categories: 209 elderly people, 50 families with addiction problems, 24 families with people with disabilities, as well as victims of violence, single mothers/fathers, etc. – according to the results of the study.

According to the results of the survey conducted at the end of the project, it was found that 97.8% of recipients of social services were satisfied with their quality and frequency, and 100% of them improved their psychological and emotional state during the service compared to the period when social home care services were not provided, and they felt physical relief from receiving social services.

Specialists of the Center for Social Services, who were trained under the program “Supporting the Decentralization Process: Developing the Competencies of United Territorial Communities in the Field of Social Services Provision”, as a result of a monitoring study, found that the most pressing issue that has arisen in the community is barrier-free access and the lack of recreation areas for children and people with disabilities. There are more than 40 children with disabilities and 164 children with special educational needs in the community, but so far there has not been a single children’s sports and playground with elements of inclusion (and there are 32 in the community in total).

Therefore, the goal of the project was to create a modern inclusive space for recreation and development, interaction and games, activity and sports KidsLand, equipped with a special play complex on a rubber surface, for children of different age categories, namely: children with disabilities, children with special educational needs, other unprotected categories of children (children of ATO participants, internally displaced persons, children from low-income and large families), and all those who wish – a kindergarten and a high school are located nearby, and the playground itself is located on the territory of the Inclusive Resource Center. The joint playground and sports ground is divided into three zones for games and recreation, and a green classroom for art therapy classes is located nearby.

The creation of such a ground contributes to reducing discrimination, eliminating obstacles and barriers, and forming a new attitude towards children with disabilities and their interaction with peers. Such a space will allow special children to receive equal development opportunities with their peers.

In the Bilozirsk rural territorial community, caring for children, ensuring their well-being and safety is one of the most important tasks and a priority in social work, for which progressive practices are implemented, aimed primarily at implementing supportive and auxiliary forms of work with the family.

The goal of the project “Step by Step: Social Support for Families with Children” is to improve the quality of the comprehensive development of preschool children and teach parents the skills necessary for raising children, improve the material base and work of the psychological service of the local kindergarten “Red Riding Hood” by purchasing and installing interactive equipment (in particular, an interactive floor and a sandbox, as well as various didactic materials: sensory sets and toys, sets for creativity and puzzles, etc.), using interactive methods and multimedia technologies, as well as conducting correctional and developmental classes with 150 children aged 0-6, as well as classes with parents under the “Parenthood in Joy” program (developed on the basis of the American program, which has been implemented in 36 states since 1983).

Interactive equipment, didactic materials that meet modern author’s methods, the training program “Parenthood in Joy” – and is the innovative educational tool that contributes to improving the psycho-emotional background of the family, the adaptation of the child in society, the acquisition of skills and abilities for self-service.

The joint work of specialists of the Center for Social Services and the psychological service of the preschool educational institution will increase the effectiveness of work with children and parents, aimed at forming a self-sufficient family and its ability to consciously give birth and raise children.

The Mostyska community is actively engaged in the development of the voluntary fire brigade in the community: there are 5 voluntary fire brigades guarding the population of 32.5 thousand people. Over time, each of them will require a gradual change of volunteers, and the popularization of the voluntary fire brigade will make this process natural and effortless.

In order for residents to feel safe in the future, the community successfully took the opportunity to intensify work towards popularizing the fire brigade, to attract to the voluntary fire brigades created in the community those who want to engage in the noble cause of rescue, to expand the ranks of team members from among the younger generation.

As soon as the community received grant funds, it immediately strengthened its material base to achieve the desired goal: it purchased 30 sets of children’s uniforms, 9 fire helmets and 30 T-shirts. In addition, training kits on fire safety and training materials on first aid were purchased. Equipment and training materials were received by starostyn districts No. 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, namely the DPKs that were created there.

With such a material and technical base, it was possible to conduct practical classes, game exercises and trainings on fire topics with students from 5 educational institutions of the community. Schoolchildren also had the opportunity to undergo practical classes and trainings on providing first aid. In total, 280 students participated in 10 events.

Thanks to this project, the youth of the community became interested in the issue of a healthy lifestyle, acquired skills in safe behavior, including with fire, and learned how to provide first aid. Schoolchildren are willing to join the study of fire. Hope for the expansion of the ranks of volunteers and a safe future for the community grew and strengthened with the creation of appropriate conditions for this.

Usually, youth is a driving force that, possessing vital energy and special knowledge, is able to tame entire elements, including fire. And later – to pass this knowledge on to the next generations. An excellent basis for this in the Budyshchensk community can be a voluntary fire and rescue movement. However, the awareness of youth about it is very low. There is plenty of information and propaganda materials in the Internet space, but without interactive involvement and motivation it is very difficult to inspire children to independently study this topic. In addition, the community lacked a material and technical educational base and appropriate skills in using fire and radiation protection equipment, skills in providing first aid. If we do not interest the student youth today, tomorrow the community will not have a worthy replacement for active volunteer firefighters. And this, in turn, increases the level of danger in the community and can later lead to tragic consequences.

Having won the grant competition, the community immediately got down to business and purchased technical materials and equipment. What is an interactive fire extinguisher worth, which simulates a fire in front of the user in virtual reality glasses and asks to put it out by choosing the right type of fire extinguisher. Such equipment is still a curiosity even for many cities, not to mention rural areas. Dummies of injuries, wounds and injuries and gas masks were also purchased. In grades 1-4 of Svydivtskyi ZZSO Ⅰ–Ⅲ st. and in grades 5-11, Budyshchenskyi ZZSO Ⅰ–Ⅲ st. Three events were held: a civil defense day on the topic of “Involving schoolchildren in voluntary fire and rescue movement”, which included not only theoretical but also practical classes in the groups: “Fire safety”, “Home medical care” and “Radiation and chemical hazard”, where children learned and practiced the skills of using fire extinguishers, gas masks, stopping bleeding, fixing fractures, and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A thematic quest and competition “Young firefighters” were also held for schoolchildren and a demonstration training of the volunteer fire brigade of Budyshchenskaya TG was carried out with the involvement of special equipment and transport. Children had the opportunity to explore the inside of a fire truck, talk to volunteers and representatives of the State Emergency Service.

Using the acquired material and technical base, and taking into account the peculiarities of conducting relevant exercises, the Budyshchensk community will be able to easily conduct similar events and trainings for the entire population at the civil protection consultation points and in other educational institutions. In total, during the project, 500 information booklets were prepared and distributed to raise awareness among students and the population about the voluntary fire movement, fire safety and rules for handling a fire extinguisher. To further encourage young participants in the events, everyone received gifts within the project: notebooks, pens and sweets.

The highest value in such seemingly simple promotional events is the lively interest of children in the voluntary fire and rescue movement, genuine curiosity about the rules of fire safety, the use of a fire extinguisher and gas mask, and the study of the rules of first aid. And at civil defense consultation points, the number of requests from community residents for consultations and explanations in the field of fire safety and direct practice of the procedure for action in the event of an emergency has increased.

In order to protect children from disasters, including fires, as well as to teach them the necessary steps to respond in an emergency, it is worth regularly conducting educational events. Unfortunately, for some time, the Horodenkiv community did not have the conditions for holding such events and an adapted space for appropriate training. The Rosokhatsky Starostynsky District has an active volunteer fire brigade, which, together with the Rosokhatsky Lyceum, created a youth team of firefighters. However, unfortunately, they did not have visual equipment for conducting interactive training on various types of safety (mine and fire safety, pre-medical training, etc.).

A firm decision was made to create a safety class in the lyceum as a center for the implementation and popularization of the voluntary fire movement and thereby ensure an increase in awareness, activate the fire brigade, improve cooperation with fire services and reduce the risk of emergencies. Such a class will provide an opportunity to visually familiarize children with dangerous situations and gain the necessary skills in providing first aid and psychological care, how to act during various types of dangers, and develop self-defense and rescue skills. To achieve an educational effect, the class was planned to be divided into thematic zones: multimedia zone; fire safety zone (for studying fire safety rules, the algorithm of actions in case of fire, studying the basics of using fire extinguishing agents); mine safety zone (for studying the rules of behavior in case of detection of explosive and suspicious objects); life safety zone (for studying the rules of safe behavior in various areas of life, including the algorithm of actions in case of emergency situations); first aid zone (for conducting classes and trainings on providing first aid); psychological relief zone (for working with psychologists to perform creative tasks, conduct conversations, etc.); play zone (for children of the younger age category to conduct games and exercises).

Before filling the classroom with the appropriate equipment, it was necessary to level the walls, repair the ceiling, replace the electrical wiring, lamps, windows, doors, and finally lay the floor covering. And only later was the auxiliary equipment installed: computer equipment and a magnetic marker board. To create comfortable conditions, a set of soft cushions for seating was purchased. Among the thematic content: a construction mat, fire safety kits, first aid kits, mine safety, life safety and psychological relief kits. This is how the safety class was equipped in the Rosokhatsky Lyceum.

Why did this help? The educational institution immediately formed 2 schedules for holding events for students in this safety class: an internal school schedule and a schedule for educational institutions located nearby. Thus, at the time of the project completion, relying on the safety class and its material and technical base, in particular, 2 classes were held together with representatives of the DPK on working with watercraft, water rescue and working with communication equipment. As part of the joint activities, it is planned to hold events with students of the “young firefighter” circle. 4 lessons on providing first aid for students of different age categories, fire safety lessons and traffic rules were also held. As part of the project, demonstration competitions of young firefighters were held together with the Kolomyia State Emergency Service.

News about the successfully implemented project can be found on such Internet resources as Decentralization, Ukrinform, Dzerkalo Media and others.

Now the conditions have been created in the Horodenkiv community for mastering the rules of fire and mine safety, as well as the algorithm of actions in case of emergencies of various nature.

It is well known that the safety of human life and health is above all. But at the local level, in remote settlements, people are vulnerable due to various factors, one of which is emergencies, including fires; and a low level of awareness, unwillingness to act in the event of a fire lead to loss of property and threat to the lives of citizens. That is why the community decided to activate public awareness and increase the level of fire safety by actively promoting the voluntary fire movement, thereby forming an informed, educated and united society. The tools chosen for this were information events, trainings, seminars and practical training in providing first aid and actions in the event of a fire.

The Yavoriv Secondary School of Fire Safety of I-III Degrees No. 2 became the base for the implementation of the project. This is one of the largest educational institutions in the community, which provides educational services to schoolchildren in 8 settlements. So, thanks to the donor’s funds, furniture, computer equipment, fire and medical equipment, educational materials, thematic game sets were purchased – everything to make the process of learning key skills convenient, visual and interesting. We are talking about fire extinguishers, gas masks, protective suits, training dummies of explosive objects, kits for providing first aid.

Having a plan, a material base and serious ambitions, the community held a whole battalion of thematic events. Just evaluate this galaxy of processes and figures of involvement: a launch event was held (204 students); complete information about the voluntary fire movement was collected (30 participants); 26 presentations “Fire safety – a problem of today” were developed and demonstrated; a school holiday “Safety is our choice” was organized (60 participants) for the presentation of the project at the school, where volunteers were involved; a training seminar for volunteers on fire safety rules “Everyone should know this” was held (49 participants); an information page for the project was created on the school blog “Prevent. Save. Help”; more than 140 information materials were distributed; an exhibition of fire equipment and evacuation equipment for students and parents “Fire safety rules are the key to saving your life” was held (237 visitors); an information and educational event in the community “Safety above all!” was organized in the form of lectures, master classes, and demonstrations of rescue equipment (520 participants); an exhibition of posters and works dedicated to fire safety “Fire safety is a problem of humanity” was held; a drawing and poem competition on the topic of fire safety was held among students “Fire can be prevented” (45 participants); an information video about the voluntary fire movement “Caution, danger!” was distributed on social networks; lectures, trainings, practical classes were held as part of the fire safety week in schools “Forewarned is Protected” for 500 students; 42 students were involved in the “Don’t Joke with Fire” campaign, during which master classes and demonstration exercises were held; a training for parents on fire safety at home “Safety Rules – Rules of Life” was organized (57 participants); a survey was conducted among 300 participants on community awareness of fire safety rules; an assessment of satisfaction and usefulness of the information received among community residents was conducted as part of a survey among 184 participants of the project events; a training on first aid was organized with the participation of the Yavoriv District Organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society for 84 people; a final thematic event “Let’s not be indifferent – let’s save our world from fires!” was held (74 participants).

An impressive list of work accomplished could not but cause a resonance: a total of 42 posts were published about the project’s successes, including h. covered in such media as the radio wave “Yavir FM” and the magazine “Yavorivshchyna”. And there was something to tell. After all, this approach to fire safety issues significantly increased citizens’ awareness, provided access to important information in an easy-to-understand form, and strengthened knowledge of preventive measures and the algorithm of actions in emergency situations. This project provided the prerequisites for creating a network of active citizens who are potential members of volunteer fire brigades. They will be the ones who will be able to provide the necessary assistance and respond to fires in the future. Thus, the local community can now always warn, help, and stop.

The Loknytsia Territorial Community Fire Department serves 20 settlements. But in order to be able to perform its functions on such a scale, volunteers need to have the minimum conditions for this – a fire station with a high-quality entrance, which is comfortable to stay in, as well as reliable fire equipment. Unfortunately, before that, the community did not have the funds to resolve such issues. As a result, volunteers could not respond to calls as quickly as possible, arrive at the scene on time and perform their work qualitatively.

Participation in the grant program made it possible to correct the situation: with the grant funds in the premises of the depot in the village of Kukhche, where the team is based, the community built walls, removed plaster, faced and painted the walls, laid the floor with ceramic tiles, equipped a shower and toilet, installed sewage and water supply, and finally purchased furniture and faced the facade of the building. This made it possible to operate the building fully and with all the amenities, and as a result, increased the efficiency of the volunteers. The community also equipped a path for the fire truck to leave the depot. In turn, this reduced the response time to emergencies. And, finally, the community purchased modern high-quality fire equipment and auto parts: fire hoses, a fire hose, a facade sign, a fire cabinet, tires, a jack, a set of keys and other tools. This significantly improved the quality of the volunteers’ work.

As a result, such local changes in the community strengthened the civil defense system as a whole, allowed for a more efficient response and timely assistance to the population, in particular in the event of fires. Thus, laying the foundation for increasing the level of commitment of community residents to the voluntary fire movement, conditions were created for preventive measures. And this portends a reduction in material damage and losses, and most importantly, the prevention of human casualties.

In the village of Bykivka, in the Zhytomyr region, there is a volunteer fire brigade that is ready to stand guard over at least 14 settlements. However, the premises of the depot, where this team is based and the fire truck will be kept, had unsuitable conditions for this and ceased to function back in the 90s of the last century. In particular, we are talking about an unsuitable heating system. The problem was especially acute with the onset of the autumn-winter period, which complicated the maintenance of materials and equipment for volunteers. In addition, a properly functioning heating system is both the comfort of the team’s stay in the depot and a step towards receiving a fire truck from the State Emergency Service.

To solve this problem, the community implemented a grant project, within the framework of which it was necessary to dismantle outdated elements of the heating system, install a solid fuel pyrolysis boiler with the necessary equipment and steel radiators, as well as update the electrical equipment and the heating and ventilation system. As a result, the heating system in five rooms of the fire station has now been repaired: in the general premises of the depot, in a box for two fire engines, in a room for volunteers, in a furnace room, an auxiliary room and a vestibule. At the same time, it was possible to ensure the proper temperature regime for the stay of 12 members of the volunteer fire brigade and the maintenance of property, including the future vehicle. Grant funds from the International Solidarity Fund Representative Office are a significant assistance to the community on the way to completing work on the fire station, because in parallel with this, in 2023 the community received budget funds for the replacement of windows and some building materials.

The implementation of the project “Overhaul of the heating system of the fire station in Bykivka” made it possible to get rid of obstacles to the full functioning of the fire station and proper storage of volunteers’ property. Modern equipment installed during the overhaul of the heating system warms not only with heat, but also with the hope of receiving a fire truck as soon as possible for local firefighters.

In the village of Buniv, Yavoriv community, there is a fire department that serves 5 starosta districts. On the territory of 2 of them there are peat deposits with a total area of ​​about 50 hectares. In the summer, these areas require special attention, as they often catch fire. To eliminate such fires, it is necessary to use significant resources: human, technical, material, and most importantly, time. The community was faced with the danger of losing property and, worst of all, the life and health of citizens. In addition, the fire department of the fire department of the village of Buniv needed action: excessive humidity recently threatened to spoil the property in the premises.

By using grant funds, the community had a unique opportunity to improve the conditions for the voluntary fire brigade of the village of Buniv to respond to fires, the conditions for storing their equipment and machinery in the fire department, and also to provide volunteers with the opportunity for comfortable rest. It is expected that this will give a positive impetus to the desire of local residents to support the voluntary fire service in the community.

Thus, during the implementation of the project, it was possible to put the fire station in order. Namely: the iron gate opening was bricked up, the entrance door and window in the duty officer’s room were installed, as well as the door between the duty officer’s room and the property storage room; lighting panels were installed, the power line cable was laid, heating convectors, switches, sockets, and lamps were installed; the ceiling was equipped; walls and ceilings were lined, puttyed, and painted; the floor was laid with ceramic tiles; the facade of the premises was insulated and painted.

In parallel with the construction and repair works, an information campaign was carried out among community residents by creating an information page for the project on the Yavoriv City Council website, distributing thematic information leaflets, and preparing an informative video about the history of community building.

The implementation of such a project is a story about the fact that in the event of a fire, residents of the villages of Buniv, Ivanyk, Kalynivka, Porudenko, and Shutov now have the opportunity to receive timely and high-quality services from a volunteer fire brigade that uses equipment stored in proper conditions; and the Fire Department, in turn, has the opportunity to function confidently on the basis of a comfortably equipped fire station.

The Horodenkiv territorial community with a total area of ​​622 km2 is one of the largest in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. This community has 40 settlements, where about 44.7 thousand residents live. It is worth noting that there is a river on the territory of the community, which is periodically flooded by the Chornyava River and has not previously been inspected preventively. Therefore, the community’s DPC must be fully prepared for emergencies, including floods that harm the community’s residents, and in particular landowners. Previously, the team could not function fully without appropriate equipment and uniforms, as well as with an unequipped depot.

Therefore, with the aim of creating conditions for increasing the level of readiness and ability to act effectively in emergency situations and the threat of floods in particular, specialized equipment was purchased: inflatable rowing boats with dinghies, inflatable keel boats with plywood hulls, life jackets, noise-reducing boots for firefighters, wading half-overalls, etc., with thematic training in the form of simulations and exercises for the practical application of the purchased equipment. In addition, the volunteers’ rest room was equipped with a washer-dryer, microwave oven, refrigerator, TV, laptop, printer, and internet connection. And to improve the heating system, a rack wood splitter was purchased.

As a result of the project, relying on the updated material and technical base, the volunteer team can now fully carry out rescue and evacuation of people, including during floods, and what is important is to minimize danger. In general, we managed to create all the conditions for the effective work of the volunteer fire brigade, and the level of trust in it among local residents has increased significantly.