Solutions journalism works: Rubryka’s ten best articles in July

During the two years of the full-scale war, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Russians almost destroyed the entire Ukrainian thermal power generation, blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP), and shelled the Dnipro HPP. They also occupied Europe's largest Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and part of the Ukrainian renewable energy facilities. 

In this article, Rubryka explains what's happening to Ukraine's energy system and discusses decentralized power generation as part of the country's recovery. Solution: Some of the electricity consumers can become producers.

Solution for hamsters and Ukraine's environment

Hamsters once inhabited the steppes and forest steppes across Europe, including most of Ukraine. Today, this species has almost disappeared in the wild. In 2009, hamsters were red-listed, but even after that, their numbers continued to decline. 

This problem is continent-wide, as hamster habitats are being plowed for agricultural land, where farmers use poison to control rodent populations. Hamsters need protection, and people in Ukraine are working to remedy this issue.

Rubryka tells the story of a Ukrainian researcher who established the Hamster Rescue Center to save a red-listed species. He relocates the rodents to safe, natural habitats and creates a genetic map. Why does this solution benefit both people and hamsters? Find out here.

Solution for families of missing soldiers

Often, relatives of missing Ukrainian soldiers left alone with their pain and uncertainty do not know what to do and where to find support. To guide and support Ukrainian families when they receive bad news about their loved ones, Ukraine's northwestern Rivne region welcomed a consultation center for the families of the missing persons.

The project organizes mutual support groups and provides representation and advice to the families of missing persons living in the village of Volodymyrets and neighboring communities. "We believe that the project will help unite the families of the missing in a community where they can share experiences and support each other," the project's manager shared.

Find out more about the solution here.

Solution for people with prosthetics

Since Russia started its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, many Ukrainians have lost limbs in combat or Russian air attacks and shelling of peaceful cities and towns. The exact number of military personnel who have undergone amputations during the full-scale war is kept confidential for security reasons. However, according to publicly available data, the Ukrainian government funded prosthetics for 20,000 people — both civilians and military — in 2023.

Ukraine's western city of Ternopil has recently welcomed the MED3DRUK project for people with amputations. Through this project, soldiers receive unique prosthetic covers free of charge. These decorative covers, made from durable plastic, protect the prosthetic, recreate the volume of the lost limb, and help veterans socially adapt.

Rubryka spoke with Yevhen Loza, a co-founder of MED3DRUK, a PhD in Medical Sciences, and the chair of the NGO Power of Revival, to learn more about how the initiative works.

Solution to support pregnant women

Two years of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine gave rise to even more stress and worries for pregnant Ukrainian women, so they have been in dire need of extra support. In a world with air raid sirens, explosions, bad news, fears for loved ones, and daily challenges, the vulnerability of women expecting a baby can increase dramatically.

The educational project with the cheeky and affectionate name "Puzata Mama," which translates to English as "Round-Bellied Mama," helps pregnant women face the challenges of childbirth and parenthood amid the war. Founder Oksana Kravets says the initiative does everything in its power to make each pregnancy easy, filled with positive emotions and helpful knowledge.

"Despite all the worries and feelings of overwhelming responsibility, daily stress, and anxiety, the best thing we can do is instill hope and ensure that the future mom feels calm and confident," says the project's founder.

Rubryka talks more about the Puzata Mama here.

Solution for sex education

While schools in Ukraine gradually introduce sex education lessons, youth nonprofits are stepping in to answer all teenagers' questions openly and interactively. Our featured NGOs today are the public organization FRI and the Teenergizer Movement.

"Sex education isn't just about sex; it's about self-love, safety, emotional intelligence, and more," says Maria Bohaienko, communications manager of the Sex Education Camp for Youth. "It should start not just with contraception but with personal boundaries and healthy communication with oneself and partners. Building a healthy identity in a child helps them understand themselves."

Learn more about the camp in Rubryka's article.

Solution for education equality

In 2022, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing in Ukraine showed a significant gap between the knowledge levels of students from urban and rural areas. Overall, children in rural schools need more than 4.5 additional years of learning to catch up with the knowledge level of children in urban schools.

"The problem of insufficient attention to the potential hidden in small towns in Ukraine has been on my mind for about eight years," Vladyslav Hreziev, founder of the recruitment agency Lobby X and co-founder of the ZMINOTVORTSI national education system for teenagers, tells Rubryka. "Even [eight years ago], employers began to realize that additional educational opportunities or any investments in youth result in more capable people in the labor market."

Rubryka tells the story of the project here.

Solution for free wings

Wild birds sometimes get injured when they fall from nests, get hurt near the roads, or crash into glass buildings, breaking their wings. The list of potential dangers goes on. Not all veterinary clinics in Ukraine are equipped to treat wild birds, and few are willing to take them in for rehabilitation or long-term care, which may be needed if the bird cannot survive in the wild after an injury.

Domestic birds are also suffering these days. With the onset of Russia's full-scale war, many bird owners have fled abroad and continue to do so, leaving their farms behind without supervision and their birds without care. Unfortunately, not everyone can bring their feathered friends along, and finding someone to take care of these animals can be challenging.

Rubryka visited the Free Wings Bird Rehabilitation Center in Lviv and met ornithologist Viktor Shevlynskyi, who has taken on the mission of saving these birds. In this article, we share how Free Wings operates and how you can support their initiative.

Solution for children's summer

Russia's full-scale war has caused widespread destruction across Ukraine, devastating cities, towns, and rural areas. While it's ongoing, Ukrainians work on efforts to rebuild and realize that post-war recovery isn't just about rebuilding what the enemy destroyed. 

Ukraine's broader mission is to revive communities and environments and make every village and town "better than before." Educating Ukrainian youth on sustainable practices and environmental stewardship is a significant part of ensuring green recovery and a future where everyone respects nature and heritage.

For the third consecutive year, an eco-camp named after the small village of Vorgol in the Krolevets community of the northern Sumy region has worked to connect local kids with the nature and heritage of their country and home region.

The Vorgol environmental camp is not just a summer getaway. Children engage in lively discussions with scientists, educators, and eco-activists about local nature, its history, and its potential. They learn that everything around them needs to be preserved and improved for themselves and future generations. Rubryka tells the story of the eco-camp here.

Solution for your ears

After Russian forces resumed attacks on Ukraine's energy system, Ukrainians once again had to live with electricity shortages. In cities, generators are lined up neatly along buildings — buzzing, rattling, and vibrating everywhere. However, not everyone tolerates the generator noise, which has become a symbol of Ukraine's energy independence. 

On social media, people complain that the noise from generators overloads their hearing, makes it difficult to communicate and rest, and literally drives them "crazy." There have even been cases where people go beyond online complaints and damage the machines.

Almost every Ukrainian with a generator running outside their window during power outages has probably wondered how to protect themselves from the noise. Rubryka explains how to protect yourself from the noise, vibrations, and emissions of generators.