IRPIN Today, the third Finnish delegation will visit Ukraine during the war. This time the subject of the visit is the temporary apartments donated by Finland, which are meant for at least 200 Ukrainians who lost their homes due to the war.
Houses have gone up on the outskirts of the city of Irpin, which suffered from occupation, in two months.
In the morning, an event was held in Irpin, which was attended by the Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen (green) and Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari (sd.). From the Ukrainian side, there were representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and Irpin city management.
– This is concrete proof that Finnish quality and Finnish work exist in Ukraine today, here and now. This is also a big departure for the gigantic reconstruction project that we are facing together, Minister Skinnari told .
There were also experts from the Finnish house builder. There are currently seven Finns working at the construction site. For security reasons, the name of the construction company will not be made public for the time being.
The project’s budget is 5 million euros
The project was sealed in July, when the Finnish government granted additional support of 70 million euros to Ukraine in the supplementary budget. Half of that goes for humanitarian purposes (you move to another service)among other things for housing those who lost their homes.
At Ukraine’s request, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs procured temporary family housing for Ukrainians. The Ministry of the Interior was responsible for implementing the policy and handing over the apartments.
In November, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs report (you switch to another service) about starting the house building project in Irpin. Now, two months later, all 12 townhouses are in place. One of them is almost ready for use. It is estimated that the last houses will be ready for use in February-March.
The total budget of the project is 5 million euros, of which only 1.2 million went to transportation. All 108 modules were manufactured in a factory in Finland and transported individually by trucks to Irpin.
– People’s outlook is already on reconstruction, but at the same time we know that there may be more destruction, and we don’t know how long the war will continue, Minister Mikkonen said.
– Actually, at the same time, we have to be able to strongly provide help to this acute situation. Both humanitarian and military aid. We need to be able to bring temporary accommodation here, so that people can continue living where it is safe, and repair the damage that has been caused, Mikkonen continued.
The aid package approved last summer also agreed on the delivery of accommodation containers for rescue personnel. They were handed over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine today in Kyiv. The containers help the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine and other rescuers to help people, for example, in areas liberated from occupation.
First residents in March
Ukraine already had experience in accommodating migrants in temporary housing. Modular houses donated by Germany appeared in many Ukrainian cities already in the fall of 2014.
Last year, various container and modular houses began to be delivered to Ukraine in the spring, when the wave of migrants was at its strongest. They arose primarily in the cities of western Ukraine, where the largest number of internal refugees came.
For example, in April, the United States delivered 18 container houses to the Transcarpathian region. In the United States, such houses accommodate people who have become victims of natural disasters.
Poland delivered container homes in the spring to the Lviv region and in the summer also to other places, including the city of Butša. visited these houses in December.
The biggest problem in the houses was frequent power outages and the resulting cold. However, the residents were very grateful to Poland for the help.
XPS boards act as thermal insulation in Finnish houses. The houses have foundations, air heat pumps and radiators, so they are better suited for winter use than container solutions.
The first residents are expected in March.
– Families with children who have lost their homes are primarily accommodated here. In Irpin, 40 apartment buildings and 1,500 detached houses will have to be demolished, so a large number of townspeople need housing. Our priority is of course families with more than three children or who have lost the father of the family, says Irpin’s social director Julia Ustitš.
Minister Skinnari sees a lot of potential for Finnish expertise in the reconstruction of Ukraine. And construction is not Finland’s only strength.
– Finland has energy know-how, telecom network know-how, education know-how. Finland has been one of the main contributors to the fact that access to electricity is possible at all, he reminded.