‘We are not a burden’: how relocated NGOs empower displaced Ukrainians to rebuild host communities

Since 2014, Ukraine has faced waves of internal displacement caused by conflict and occupation. The crisis reached its peak in 2022, when nearly seven million Ukrainians fled eastern and southern regions for safer areas in central and western parts of the country. Often treated as temporary guests, internally displaced people (IDPs) continue to grapple with basic needs, such as housing and employment, but also with long-term issues – such as isolation and exclusion from local life.

Despite their skills, knowledge and motivation, IDPs are frequently seen as recipients of aid rather than contributors to society. But this narrative is changing. With EU support via the International Renaissance Foundation, Ukrainian NGOs – displaced themselves – are working to empower both IDPs and host communities to build inclusive, democratic systems from the ground up, ensuring that every voice is heard in the decision-making process.

“Back in 2022, we were seen as a burden,” recalls Tetiana Kirillova, an IDP and Head of the Civic Initiative of Luhansk Region NGO. Originally based in Luhansk, the NGO was active in regional development and local democracy. Twice displaced since 2014, it has maintained its focus on empowering IDPs and creating inclusive communities. In 2022 the NGO relocated to the city of Khmelnytskyi, in western Ukraine.  “We were expected to pay taxes, but we couldn’t participate in local governance decisions. We were not considered full members of the community,” says Tetiana. “So, we decided to lay the groundwork for long-term integration of IDPs with a more systemic approach, creating conditions for IDP protection and establishing IDP councils.”

The EU assistance helped to spearhead reforms in the Khmelnytskyi community, culminating in a historic achievement: the first-ever amended city charter to recognise IDPs as equal residents with full civic rights. This achievement was later echoed in national law. The reforms also opened up the participatory budget to IDPs, enabling them to propose and implement local projects. Further integration into city planning was achieved through the establishment of an IDP council, which worked closely with the mayor and municipal departments during council meetings.

Through advocacy, strategic planning and legal reforms, the Civic Initiative of Luhansk Region contributed to the transformation of Khmelnytskyi from a transit point into a place of belonging. “We created a model that has become a blueprint for sustainable IDP integration across Ukraine,” notes Tetiana. Collaborating closely with displaced CSOs and government bodies, the NGO is now expanding its work to Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and other regions to demonstrate that civil society can lead recovery, not just respond to crisis.

Empowering displaced voices in peripheral communities

While most NGOs tend to concentrate their efforts on large urban areas, small peripheral communities in central Ukraine often remain underserved. This gap was noticed by another NGO, the Revival and Development Association relocated from Bakhmut to Cherkasy – a central region hosting over 200,000 IDPs. The NGO’s team decided to focus on the peripheral areas of Kamianka, Moshny and Lesky. “No other organisation was working there, but local residents were eager to engage,” says Olena Holovkina, the NGO’s founder. Here, lack of infrastructure and funding left many IDPs – especially those evacuated under duress or who were unable or unwilling to work – socially isolated and marginalised.

Drawing on their experience and EU support, the team formed local groups that involved a local authority, a civil society and an IDPs’ representative in each community. They participated in joint trainings to identify challenges and to co-design solutions. “For IDPs who lacked prior experience of cooperating with local self-government bodies, the access to community leaders had a profound impact. For instance, in the Kamianka community, a family attended our training sessions and, with the local mayor’s support, launched a tourism-focused business,”  underlines Olena.

The NGO’s support included the formation of IDP councils and youth groups, facilitation of exchange visits between communities, and reintroducing tools of local democracy such as participatory budgeting and petitions – previously unfamiliar or unused.

By the end of the initiative, all three partner communities had revised their development strategies and budget programmes to include IDPs as equal participants, while Lesky enshrined IDP rights in its community charter.

“We, the IDPs, stirred up positive change within these communities,” reflects Olena. “For the past three years we’ve been consistently proving that IDPs are not a burden but a valuable resource worth engaging. And now attitudes are beginning to shift.”

Being useful to the life of new communities

After relocating to Kropyvnytskyi from Donetsk region, the Nova Druzhkivka NGO brought its experience in local democracy and community engagement to three communities in the Kirovohrad region – Znamianka, Oleksandriia and Pryiutivka – becoming a catalyst for their transformation. Using EU support, the organisation focused on empowering displaced people to participate in civic life.

“We recognised the significant strain on the infrastructure, human resources and the psychological wellbeing of residents due to the diverse needs of the IDPs,” recalls Serhii Pronkin, the NGO’s head. “With our expertise in developing local democracy and establishing communication with local authorities and communities, we strived for empowering IDPs to resolve local challenges directly.”

The NGO analysed available instruments of local democracy in the three communities to determine the most effective ways of engaging IDPs and to better align communities’ documents with current legislation. For example, in Pryiutivka, which lacked any provisions for local democracy tools, it developed three model regulations – on public hearings, general meetings and local initiatives – adopted later in the community charter. Znamianka amended one of its key provisions – on general meetings – to recognise IDPs’ rights to participation.

The analysis was followed by practical training sessions on the use of local democracy tools and strengthening interaction, which involved dozens of IDPs and civil society actors. “It was empowering to understand how we could influence decisions in our new communities,” said one participant.

What began as emergency response has evolved into a democratic transformation. Thanks to the expertise of relocated NGOs, backed by EU support, displaced Ukrainians are no longer waiting to return – they are staying, participating and co-designing Ukraine’s recovery. “We realised that we couldn’t just wait for things to get better. We had to act. Now, we are part of the change,” concludes Olena.

Authors: Volha Prokharava, Olena Kifenko 

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