110 houses to be repaired in city of Bucha, Kyiv Oblast, by the end of spring

Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), an American non-profit organisation, plans to complete the reconstruction of Vokzalna Street in the city of Bucha by the end of spring, overhauling 110 houses.

It was along this street that a thirty-kilometre-long column of Russian armoured vehicles had been trying to break through to the city of Kyiv. Most of Bucha's infrastructure was destroyed during active hostilities. Accordingly, some of the houses will be completely rebuilt.

GEM noted that the project was made possible through financial support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

The project officially kicked off on 31 October, 2022, when a trilateral agreement was signed between GEM, the Bucha City Council, and Vespa Group, the project contractor.

This recovery is part of the Hope for Bucha programme. The main partners in the programme are the Bucha hromada [an administrative unit designating, in this case, the city of Bucha and its adjacent territories – ed.], Quality of Life NGO, Pioneer, United Way and Good 360. The entirety of activities is coordinated with local authorities and Ukrainian NGOs.

GEM's donors and partners in Ukraine include over 50 companies and organisations, including Goya Foods, Walmart, Home Depot, and many other well-known brands.

The city of Bucha in Kyiv Oblast has suffered UAH 5.1 billion [roughly US$191 million] in infrastructure damage due to the Russian occupiers' actions; housing stock has been the most severely affected.