With the support of Metinvest, the lyceum in Novyi Starodub village of Petrivka community underwent major repairs. Now the institution will be able to accommodate about one and a half hundred internally displaced persons if necessary. The work was carried out under a memorandum of cooperation between Metinvest's Central GOK, NGO "Kryvyi Rih Foundation for the Future" and Petrivka Village Council.
Since the beginning of the war, the Petrivka community has become a second home for more than 2,000 Ukrainians from the frontline regions. Residents of Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Kharkiv regions moved here with their families to get away from the shelling. Settlements such as the village of Novyi Starodub have become a refuge for them and provided them with a feeling of safety. One of the main issues that Petrivka residents have to deal with is providing the IDPs with comfortable housing. The community turned to Metinvest for help, whose enterprises are involved in supporting the cities where they operate, including infrastructure development, assistance to medical and educational institutions, etc.
"For many years, Metinvest's mining and processing plants in Kryyi Rih have been providing partnership support to the local communities whose land borders their facilities. All previously implemented projects were aimed at improving the living conditions of the local population and developing the infrastructure of towns and villages. However, due to the large-scale war in the country, the priorities of assistance have changed. As part of the memorandum of cooperation, the company has spent UAH 3 million to purchase construction materials for major repairs at the lyceum in Novyi Starodub village and to purchase household appliances. Now the renovated and equipped premises of the educational institution can be both cosy rooms for internally displaced Ukrainians and regular school classrooms," said Ihor TONEV, General Director of Metinvest Group's Central GOK.
The opening of the renovated classrooms was preceded by a large-scale work, as the school had not been overhauled since it was built in 1965. The builders dismantled the old floor and concreted its surface for laying linoleum. Suspended ceilings were installed, energy-saving lighting was installed, and old windows were replaced with safe metal-plastic ones. The walls in the classrooms were levelled with plasterboard and decorated with light wallpaper. The corridor and bathrooms were also renovated. In general, the entire second floor of the lyceum has acquired a modern and cosy look. The reconstruction project was coordinated by "Kryvyi Rih Foundation for the Future".
"The creation of multifunctional classrooms at Novyi Starodub Lyceum is another project implemented with the assistance of Metinvest. This is a continuation of the systematic work to support IDPs that the company launched in spring 2022. Since then, IDP reception centres have been set up in six communities in Dnipropetrosk and Kirovohrad regions and in Kryvyi Rih with the participation of businesses. Our organisation, in cooperation with the communities and Metinvest, coordinated the supply of building materials, bedding, tableware and household appliances for large shelters deployed in public facilities, as well as for private homes where displaced Ukrainians moved in," said Olena LESHCHENKO, Director of NGO "Kryvyi Rih Foundation for the Future".
Meanwhile, the first residents – families from Pokrovsk district of Donetsk region and the village of Davydiv Brid in Kherson region – are settling in. The premises are equipped with comfortable furniture, refrigerators, microwave ovens and electric kettles for their daily needs. The bathroom has new plumbing equipment and a washing machine. Mothers say that they and their children like everything very much. They talk about the sincerity and humanity of Petrivka residents and are happy that their children finally have a good night's sleep again.
"We sympathise with the families who were forced to leave everything they have built up over the years, their homes, and move away from the danger. We are helping them recover from stress, preparing places to stay and supporting them with food. Our partner Metinvest is a great help in this. When you have a reliable shoulder to stand on, it's easier to get through difficult times. Together, we are twice as strong," says Svetlana TYLYK, head of the Petrivka village council.
In addition to helping to resolve issues related to the accommodation of IDP families, Metinvest has provided nearly 95,000 food packages, 30,000 canned meat and more than 25,000 packages of hygiene products to the communities since the start of the war.
