Restoring a Safe Space for Ukrainian Youth

Dear friends and supporters,

We are delighted to share the final update on the Restoring a Safe Space for Ukrainian Youth project in Novohryhorivka, Shevchenkove community, Mykolaiv region. We are proud to announce that the project has been successfully completed, and the youth center is now fully equipped and open to the community both indoors and outdoors.

This journey has been a true example of what can be achieved when many people come together. A partner organization provided the materials for the facade repair, while the flexible funds raised through GlobalGiving covered the most complex and labor-intensive part of the work, the plastering of the building. In the second stage, local volunteers contributed materials and built a summer outdoor area with their own hands. With your support, we were then able to purchase the furniture and equipment needed for outdoor recreation and to complete the arrangement of the indoor space.

Between June and August 2026, the center received a work desk with drawers, a set of folding outdoor furniture, chairs, a portable karaoke system with two microphones, a laptop, and a multimedia set with a short-throw projector and an interactive board. These may seem like simple items, but for the young people of Novohryhorivka they make a real difference. They turn the building into a place where it is possible to learn, create, and spend time together in comfortable conditions.

Today, young people use the center every day to meet and talk, watch films, learn useful skills, and simply rest in a safe and welcoming environment. Around 100 children from Novohryhorivka and nearby villages visit the center every month. For many of them, it has become an important place to reconnect with their peers and to feel a sense of normal life again. Most importantly, Novohryhorivka shows how young people themselves can take responsibility for their village and shape its future.

In total, we raised $3,035 through 32 donations, ranging from $0.32 to $1,000. Every single contribution mattered, and each one brought us closer to this result. We are especially grateful to UAFlorida (Ukrainian Association of Florida) and to a volunteer from the United States who joined the fundraising for this initiative and helped spread the word about it.

We want to emphasize once again that none of this would have been possible without you. Your generosity and trust helped transform a damaged building into a living center for connection, creativity, and youth development. What once seemed like a distant goal is now a space filled with children’s voices every day.

Thank you for being part of this journey from the very first step to the very last. We look forward to sharing more stories from the communities we work with.

With gratitude,

Legal Development Network team

Links:

• Novohryhorivka Mykolaiv Oblast: young people changing their vill