Inclusive spaces in Dmytrivka and Mykolaivka, a labour workshop in the Khoroshivka School, bicycle paths with a bicycle parking in the Brahynivka School, park zones in Samarske and Bazhany and much more will be equipped by the end of the year in four communities of Synelnykove District (previously — Petropavlivsk District). In total there were 15 projects, which have been recognized as the best among 43 applications for participation in the Do-It-Yourself Community competition.
DTEK, as a socially responsible business, has been a reliable partner of local communities in Western Donbass since 2016. This year, for the first time, the competition has been held in each territorial community separately.
‘Since this year, the focus of the Do-It-Yourself Community project has been aimed at accessibility, preference was given to projects aimed at creating a barrier-free environment and inclusiveness for people with disabilities, children and the elderly. More than half of the winning projects in the Mykolaivka, Petropavlivka, Brahynivka and Ukrainka communities are accessibility projects. Each project is important and significant, because behind these ideas are residents, their needs, hopes and love for their native community,’ said Olena Nievierova, Social Development Manager at DTEK Pavlohradcoal.
One of the winning projects has already been implemented at the Dmytrivka Lyceum. They have created an inclusive space with optimal conditions for classes with children with special educational needs.
‘Inclusion is a challenge of the times, so the school gladly joined the project. We have 12 children with special educational needs. Any child can become successful in life, choose a profession, establish personality, achieve a certain success and standard of living,’ said Natalia Shevchenko, Head of the Dmytrivka Lyceum of the Mykolaivka Village Council.
In 2021, 32 communities in 11 regions of Ukraine took part in the Do-It-Yourself Community competition.
The company received 667 bids, from which the project jury in each individual community selected the winners based on the specific criteria. Initiatives in the social sector, ecology and energy consumption, health care, sports, urban and rural improvement, as well as cooperation between communities, are among the winners. This year, the competition places particular emphasis on creating a barrier-free environment and inclusion in a broad sense. The Do-It-Yourself Community project was transformed once DTEK joined the First Lady of Ukraine’s Business without Barriers initiative. 60% of the programs and initiatives that communities and volunteers submitted to participate in the competition are based on accessibility principles.