In June this year, UDA completed the implementation of the project “Mapping of available services for mine victims in Izium and Bashtanka communities”, implemented with the support of UNDP Ukraine within the framework of the “Mine Action in Ukraine” project, with financial support from the Government of the Republic of Korea.
New direction – new challenges
The initiative lasted for six months from January 2025 and became the first experience for the UDA in the field of social services mapping. Our team started the project with a sense of cautious optimism and with the realization that we were plunging into the unknown.
We had already had considerable experience in mine action: EORE training, information campaigns, community outreach, and advocacy at the local and government levels. But service mapping is a completely different world. This is a world where it is not enough to know where there are hazard areas, but you need to know where to go for help when the worst has already happened.
Project implementation
The pilot communities selected – Bashtanka in Mykolaiv oblast and Izium in Kharkiv oblast – were not chosen by chance. Both have been subjected to massive shelling and have a serious problem with IDPs.
Thanks to the strong ties with local authorities established during previous UDA projects, we were able to quickly collect information, establish a dialogue with service providers, and start working. As part of the project, we distributed 1,000 information brochures that contained up-to-date contact information, action algorithms, and recommendations for obtaining medical, psychological, legal, and social assistance.
We paid special attention to individual work with victims. 70 residents of the Izium and Bashtanka communities affected by the conflict received information about the ways available to them to obtain state services and statuses.
Such consultations not only explain the algorithm of actions, but also return to people the feeling that they are not alone with their misfortune.
A video was prepared that describes in detail and step-by-step instruction how to get help and necessary services if you are a mine victim, as part of the project.
An issue that cannot be ignored
While implementing the project, we faced a systemic problem: the issue of mapping services for mine victims is outside the focus of public policy. The situation on the ground often looks like a lottery – someone is lucky to come across an active social worker or a proactive doctor, and someone, unfortunately, does not know that they are entitled to help.
The issue of legal support is particularly painful: legal aid, obtaining statuses, compensation, or applying for benefits is a complex bureaucratic process in which most victims simply get lost. And without a systematic solution at the state level, it is difficult to radically change this situation for the better.
Next steps
For UDA, this project has become a new experience in the humanitarian sphere. We continue to work in this direction, preparing the next initiatives based on the experience gained. At the same time, we are ready to cooperate with state and local authorities to build a systematic policy of mapping services for victims.
After all, everyone who has survived an encounter with an UXO deserves not only to survive, but also to live a full life – with support, respect and access to everything guaranteed by law.
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