Preserving people’s health in communities is one of the key priorities in the recovery process. This effort must unite various stakeholders in healthcare, education, social work, business, and civil society to collectively find solutions that improve community well-being and safeguard public health.

This approach goes far beyond the work of medical professionals in family clinics or hospitals. It is about much wider involvement.

We’ve been working on building Healthy Communities for several years now. Among the most active are the Bucha and Fastiv communities in Kyiv region, Zlatopil in Kharkiv region, and Yasinyanska in Zakarpattia. We are excited to announce that, for the first time, with support from UNDP, communities from the south — Bashtanka and Voznesensk — are joining the Healthy Community initiative.

What is a “Healthy Community”?

A “Healthy Community” is an approach to territorial community development in which health and well-being of people become the core focus in all decision-making processes. Health is not just about new clinics and renovated hospitals — it’s about enabling each person to fully realize their potential.

These communities:

• Put people and their needs at the center of local policy — from infrastructure to education and healthcare;
• Unite the efforts of doctors, educators, social workers, local authorities, businesses, and the public to collectively find effective ways to improve lives;
• Use data and research to identify real issues, assess health risks, and develop evidence-based strategies. A key shift here is moving towards health governance that relies on objective data. When health is defined as a social category, measuring and evaluating community health moves beyond the walls of the hospital;
• Establish permanent advisory bodies at local councils — cross-sectoral working groups that involve activists, community representatives, and heads of local institutions;
• Develop long-term public health action plans — with a focus on the needs of vulnerable groups, veterans, internally displaced persons, children, youth, and the elderly;
• Receive expert support — the “Healthy Solutions” team provides training, consulting, and help with analytics;
• Have access to mini-grants for implementing the most effective local initiatives aimed at improving health and quality of life.

Why Mykolaiv Region?

Mykolaiv Oblast is one of the regions that has been heavily affected by the war. Despite this, the local communities here remain active and are ready to implement change and build a new, holistic ecosystem of support for people. Recently, our experts traveled there to get to know the communities more deeply. They report that these communities are proactive. There is already significant international investment in the region — and it shows.

Bashtanka Community

This community experienced occupation and prolonged shelling. Despite the destruction of its hospital, strong teams in family and specialized medicine have remained. The community is committed to recovery and already has experience partnering with international organizations.

Voznesensk Community

This community is actively implementing initiatives aimed at improving quality of life. It is home to a large number of veterans and their families. This number is expected to grow, making reintegration, mental health, and trauma support especially important focus areas.

New Challenges and New Residents

Around 6,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently live in both communities — mostly young women with children who lost their homes in Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions. Many of them have nowhere to return and may stay in these communities permanently.

This shift is reshaping the social fabric of the communities. Along with veterans and their families, IDPs are creating a new structure of needs that must be taken into account when planning for the future. This project can become a pilot for the entire country, as we are already experiencing — and will continue to experience — the migration of people.

Bashtanka and Voznesensk communities are expected to finalize their public health development strategies by the end of the year and begin implementation.

A Pilot for the Country

We believe this project can become a model for Ukraine. We are already witnessing widespread migration, changing community compositions, new challenges, and the need for integrated responses.

By 2027, our goal is to support at least 50 Healthy Communities across Ukraine. We have been developing this network for several years, and today some of the most active participants include Bucha and Fastiv (Kyiv region), Zlatopil (Kharkiv region), Yasinyanska (Zakarpattia), and now Bashtanka and Voznesensk (Mykolaiv region).

🔗 Read more about the "Healthy Communities" initiative here.