UNITED24 fundraising platform reveals progress of donation-funded reconstruction of buildings damaged by Russian forces
Photo: wikipedia.org
The donations raised by the UNITED24 platform finance the reconstruction of 18 apartment buildings in the Kyiv region.
From now on, anyone can find out the stories of residents and monitor the restoration thanks to the support of the Ukrainian IT real estate company LUN, Rubryka reports.
What is the problem?
The research by the Kyiv School of Economics reveals that as of late May of this year, the direct damage caused to Ukraine's housing by Russia's full-scale war is more than $54 billion.
The lion's share of destruction — $46.6 billion — is the damage to apartment buildings. Out of 18,600 war-affected buildings, 13,200 were damaged, and 5,400 were completely destroyed by the Russian forces.
More than $7 billion in direct damage accounts for private homes. Over 144,000 have been damaged, of which almost 59,000 have been fully ruined.
In the course of the invasion, the Russian forces destroyed and damaged 454 residential buildings in the capital, Kyiv, with losses of $734 million.
"It was very painful to look at the destroyed houses we witnessed being built from the very beginning," said the LUN, a popular real estate platform.
What is the solution?
UNITED24 is vigorously working to raise funding for the reconstruction of the capital. To support the platform's campaign, dozens of international companies, platform ambassadors, and private donors joined the initiative.
To boost donations, UNITED24 becomes even more transparent with a new interactive map, where users can find out more about damaged buildings in need of financing and witness the progress of the ones being rebuilt right now.
"It is very important for us to give the opportunity to donors from everywhere — from Canada to Australia, from Lithuania to France — to follow the reconstruction," says Yaroslava Gres, UNITED24 coordinator. "Every person who donated at least one dollar — even a million — to Ukraine will feel involved in our history thanks to the UNITED24 project and LUN."
How does it work?
UNITED24 aims to raise ₴719 million ($19.6 million) for 18 buildings. The platform's donors worldwide have sent ₴638,935,400 ($17,451,683) for reconstruction. More than ₴50 million have been accumulated on the account of the infrastructure ministry.
From Wednesday, everyone can support the fundraiser for five buildings to collect ₴28,369,770 and reach the full goal.
The reconstruction of two residential buildings in the war-battered city of Irpin is funded by the fashion brand Balenciaga. Three more houses will be given new life thanks to the personal contributions of UNITED24 ambassadors — boxer Oleksandr Usyk, director Michel Hazanavicius, and tennis player Elina Svitolina.
Donors can learn more about the building, read the touching stories of the residents, and see the place on an interactive map. Thanks to the 3D model, they can better understand the extent of the destruction and the need for support, Gres says.
LUN has launched construction monitoring, which allows donors to review the progress. The team's photojournalists regularly travel to shoot the sites and use an app with patented technology to showcase the buildings better.
Each house is photographed from the same angle for better monitoring dynamics. 3D models of buildings in their current state are created based on drone images.
"LUN always thinks about the future — construction, new housing for people, a comfortable and happy life in the city. That's why we didn't hesitate even for a minute about helping UNITED24," says Denys Sudilkovskyi, LUN marketing director. "Each of us in this war wants to be involved in the path to victory; it is impossible to sit idly by."
Sudilkovskyi adds it is a unique experience to use technologies created for peacetime in working with destroyed housing and its reconstruction.
"Emotionally, it was a very difficult experience, but we are happy to make efforts for joint reconstruction," he says.
Rubryka reported that Irpin, Kyiv region, began the construction of a new "Vesnianka" kindergarten building. In March 2022, part of the kindergarten was destroyed by a direct Russian missile strike.
The public organization "Dostupno.UA" offers consultations to help make reconstruction projects in Ukraine more accessible for people with limited mobility.
