The Legal Development Network calls for support for the de-occupied Ukrainian communities’ recovery

Publication date: July 4, 2024

The Legal Development Network (hereinafter — LDN) has launched a crowdfunding campaign “Recovery of The South of Ukraine” as part of the crisis response programme #StandWithUkraine. The Solidarity and Justice coalition has been implementing the programme since the beginning of 2022.

The crowdfunding campaign aims to support initiative groups of de-occupied communities in the Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine in creating safe spaces for residents of the affected villages, including young people. As part of the campaign, philanthropists from all over the world can make a contribution of any size , thereby guaranteeing that people will recover from the trials of the occupation faster and change their unbearable living conditions into decent and safe ones.

“Since February 2022, the Legal Development Network, in cooperation with the international non-profit organization GlobalGiving, has been supporting Ukrainians affected by the war. In particular, we support local civic and volunteer initiatives in the communities of the southern regions. Often, the needs of communities are ‘burning’ here and now, and financial resources are insufficient or non-existent. Therefore, our crowdfunding campaign is a chance for rapid recovery, which grows with each donation, regardless of its size, currency, or country of receipt,” emphasizes Olga Nastina, Executive Director of the LDN.

By crowdfunding for the realization of the goals set by communities, the LDN gives them an impetus to act: if you really want something and make a determined effort, you will definitely get the necessary resources.

Denys Vynnychuk, a field officer who will coordinate the restoration of several facilities in the communities, says: “My team and I want to identify activists in de-occupied communities who are ready to lead and drive changes in their settlements without our help. Let’s start together by restoring the premises where villagers gather and equipping them as spaces for community building.”

The first collection of the campaign is aimed at creating a networking space for young people and all residents of the village of Liubomyryivka (Shevchenkivska community, Mykolaiv Oblast). For eight months — from July to November 2022 — the village was under occupation by Russian troops. All this time, the villagers suffered daily from bombardment and shelling, from the lack of electricity and communications, from the presence of an enemy whose logic of action is impossible to predict. The village’s school, club, administrative building and hundreds of houses were destroyed.

Before the full-scale invasion, the village was home to 641 people, and now 212 people, 31 of whom are children, remain.  The only place where the villagers can gather and receive services is in the old paramedic and obstetric station. The villagers, together with volunteers, want to repair the floor, walls, and upgrade the electrical system in the building to create a safe and comfortable space for children and adults. An ambitious project requires significant financial costs. We believe that it will be successfully implemented thanks to the joint efforts of all the people who will join our crowdfunding campaign.

The campaign page provides information about all the current pledges — the goal set, the amount needed to achieve it, and how much money has already been raised. When the goal is reached, the LDN will be sure to update you on what has been done.

The reference

The Legal Development Network is an alliance of civil society organizations that have been promoting people-centered justice through the provision of free legal aid, legal education, research, strategic advocacy and other legal empowerment tools since 2009. The Union brings together organizations from most regions of Ukraine. These organizations provide basic information on legal issues to the public, actively cooperate with local governments to research and solve community problems, introduce alternative ways of resolving conflicts, and develop communities and local leadership.

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