In a new pilot project, UNHCR and its NGO partner “Angels of Salvation” deploy mobile teams of skilled construction workers to help war-affected communities repair their homes.

Author Alina Kovalenko, UNHCR  |  7 Mar 2024

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

Kharkiv – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, jointly with its NGO partner “Angels of Salvation”, have launched a new project, “Workshop on Wheels”, to support war-affected communities with technical advice and assistance to help people repair homes damaged in missile, drone or other attacks. 

Five mobile teams of skilled construction workers, equipped with essential tools such as screwdrivers, angle grinders, circular saws etc have since January 2024 been deployed in war-affected areas in the Kharkiv region. Here, they help families who have received building materials to repair their war-damaged homes, but who lack the necessary tools or skills to complete the repairs.  

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

Currently, the mobile teams are providing guidance to people wanting to repair their homes themselves, while also helping vulnerable individuals with dismantling damaged windows and replacing them with new and energy-efficient ones provided by UNHCR. Later, when weather conditions permit, the mobile teams will also help install new roofs and repair facades.  

To date, the mobile teams of “Angels of Salvation” have installed over 300 windows and three entrance doors, helping around 100 families. In 2024, the project aims to support a total of 1,500 families in the Kharkiv region with loan of tools, technical expertise and assistance with repairs. 

“The “Workshop on Wheels” has an innovative approach, combining material assistance with technical expertise and community empowerment. UNHCR is constantly improving the way it supports people and we identified the need not only to provide a comprehensive list of materials but also to offer technical advice and free rental of tools to ensure that people can do the repairs themselves,” said Andrii Shpak, UNHCR Shelter Associate. 

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

Photo Angels of Salvation/Oleksii Hutnyk

“We are prioritizing the support to those people that are most in need, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, big families, and others. We are planning to expand this initiative across multiple regions, including Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, while increasing the number of mobile brigades to accommodate growing demand,” said Volodymyr Vynohradov, Project Manager at “Angels of Salvation”. 

In the past two years, UNHCR and its partners have reached millions of people – more than 4.3 million in 2022 and 2.6 million in 2023 – with assistance and support. This includes UNHCRs emergency shelter and house repairs response. Close to 28,000 homes across the country have been repaired, and more than 287,000 people have received emergency shelter kits allowing them to fix immediate damage to their homes after attacks.  

Media contacts: 

• Elisabeth Arnsdorf Haslund, [email protected], +38 (095) 239 00 72 
• Iryna Tymchyshyn, [email protected], +38 (050) 474 35 12