Another bus route opened in Ukraine
Within the framework of the project of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund and ADRA Ukraine, another social bus route is available in the Stepnenska community in Zaporizhzhia. ADRA Ukraine provides uninterrupted running of 27 bus routes of this kind, helping people reach the basic social infrastructure again.
Last week, the first trip of the social bus route took place in the Stepnenska community of the Zaporizhzhia district of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Currently, about 6,000 people live in the Stepnenska village territorial community, of whom up to half a thousand are internally displaced persons who have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the war.
“After February 24, there is no transport connection in some remote villages of our community,” says Viacheslav Liubymenko, a Head of the village, “so this project is very timely for us. Local residents and internally displaced people will be able to visit social services, hospitals, pharmacies, and shops.”
Valentina, a 64-year-old woman cannot hide her sorrow.“My husband and I were forced to leave our home. Thanks to good people, we have a place to stay. We count every penny. It is necessary to draw up documents, and visit a doctor … So, free transportation is a real gift for us.”
Since the beginning of full-scale hostilities in February 2022, most of the settlements in these communities have been left without transport links because of shelling, fuel crisis, and lack of funds in community budgets.
On June 14 and 15, the first trips of social routes took place in Lozivska community of Kharkiv region and Novooleksandrivka community of Zaporizhzhia region. In the Lozivska community they cover 48 settlements, in Novooleksandrivka – two remote villages.
As of June 24, 2022, ADRA Ukraine provides uninterrupted running of twenty-seven social routes in six communities of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions. Since February 2022, 2,852 people have been evacuated to safe places within the project, and 4,027 people have been provided with access to vital infrastructure.
