Clean Water, Food, Medicine, and Transportation in Mykolaiv: Human Rights Training Center 2022 Report

In January 2023, the Audit Commission for NGO Human Rights Training Center conducted an internal audit of their humanitarian aid work in Mykolaiv made possible by funding from Global Synergy Group. This post provides a summary of the findings of that report.

Since the early days of the war, Global Synergy Group (GSG) has been helping residents living in the front-line city of Mykolaiv. The city was under continuous siege for nine months with daily shelling. For eight of those months, the city also had no drinking water. 

Thanks to the support of GSG, more than 4,500 residents of Mykolaiv received drinking water for 10 months (25 liters per person, per day), food, and other necessities. In addition, Global Synergy Group facilitated the delivery of highly effective “Sawyer” water filters to Mykolaiv. Human Rights Training Center (HRTC) was part of a group that was responsible for distributing these filters. Thanks to the purchase and successful delivery of these filters, 420 Mykolaiv families (approximately 1,300 people) now have the ability to extract up to 25 liters of drinking water per day for the next three years.

Over the course of the last year, HRTC and GSG also worked together to provide residents with safe transportation out of Mykolaiv, and to deliver medicine, food, and other necessities to the most vulnerable. 

In total, from February 24 to December 31, 2022 GSG provided the HRTC Center with non-refundable assistance for program support for a total of $17,630 USD.

Here is exactly how the money was used:

Safe Water for Mykolaiv

In peacetime, estimated average water consumption is 100 to 150 liters per day. In wartime, this goes down to approximately 25 liters per person per day.

With the support of Global Synergy Group, HRTC purchased and delivered water filters and reagents for water purification to the inhabitants of the Korabelnaya and Ingulskiy districts of Mykolaiv.

In order to support this level of access to clean drinking water, HRTC purchased 930 water filter units, including:

• ROSA filters: Each filter provides 400 liters of clean water. 

• 399 sets of ‘Pure Watering Can’ filters: With their help 192 liters of drinking water was provided for 18 days.

• 51 ATLAS filters: Capacity up to 750 liters per hour. These filters are designed to last for a year, but under the conditions of extremely low water quality in Mykolaiv, each filter worked no more than 2 weeks. However 51 families (153 people) were able to use them to clean 25 liters of water per day for 14 days.

• 60 Aquaphor filters: 80 people used them for a month to improve 25 liters of water per day.

• Sawyer filters: 420 people now have the ability to access clean water for the next 3 years.

Reagents for drinking water treatment, including:

• Aquaton: Provided 120 people with safe water for 13 days.

• Dutrion Chlorine Dioxide: 220 packages of 10 tablets each provided 660 people with clean water every day for 27 days.

• Javel Aqua: 160 packages of 20 tablets gave 120 people the ability to extract 25 liters of drinking water from natural sources in case of an emergency.

HTRC also purchased and distributed 239 water containers of different volumes.

Transportation for the Vulnerable

In February and March 2022, funds from GSG were used to purchase fuel for the transportation of elderly people with disabilities to safe places in the Mykolaiv region. In total, 97 Mykolaiv families were transported to safe places and evacuation points, including 35 elderly people with disabilities and 62 families with young children. In addition, some of this money was used to help transport critical workers such as medical staff and city utility workers.

Supply of Essentials to the Elderly 

HRTC used funds from GSG to purchase and deliver essential items to 48 homes of the elderly people and people with disabilities. These purchases included:

• 95 water filters and other equipment needed for accessing clean water.

• 27 fire extinguishers. 

• Candles, matches, and batteries for lighting.

• Food and medicine according to individual needs.

Personal Protective Equipment Against Chemical Accidents

Residents living in certain districts of Mykolaiv are located near buildings where poisonous chemicals are stored. Many of these residents were afraid that these buildings would be damaged as a result of bombing and shooting, which would lead to the outflow of poisonous substances–in particular chlorine. 

People asked HRTC to provide them with anti-gas resources. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the war, all the stocks of anti-gas that had been stored in Mykolaiv since the Soviet Union, were taken to Kiev. Therefore, at the request of residents, HRTC purchased industrial respirators, protective goggles, and special filter kits for protection against chlorine, fluorine, and acid evaporation.

Thank you to everyone who supported HRTC in their life-saving work for the residents of Mykolaiv. 

Mykolaiv has now been liberated by the Ukrainian Army. However, you can learn more about the Safe Water for Mykolaiv initiative at: https://www.globalsynergygroup.org/safe-water-for-mykolaiv