UNHCR supports families with insulation kits to prepare homes for winter
UNHCR supports families with insulation kits to prepare homes for winter
Olha and her family were able to insulate their home ahead of winter with support from UNHCR.
As freezing temperatures spread across Ukraine during the fourth winter since the start of the crisis, many families are better able to stay warm thanks to UNHCR’s winter response, launched well in advance of the cold season. Preparing homes early is critical, particularly for families living in older or damaged buildings that are difficult to heat once winter sets in.
In one of the most affected areas, including Zaporizhizhia region, many displaced families have settled in rural communities, often in older or abandoned houses that require repairs and insulation to be livable during winter.
Among them is Olha who lives together with her children and older parents in the village of Lukasheve. They fled their hometown Orikhiv in 2022. Having left everything behind, the family was accommodated in an old house that had stood empty for years.
“When we arrived, the house was in a terrible condition. We had to do repairs ourselves and we managed to fix almost everything, except for the old windows. We simply did not have enough income,” Olha recalls.
With young children to care for, and older parents who need support, Olha is unable to work. The family relies on firewood and briquettes for heating — an essential, but costly expense for many families living in rural areas.
Ahead of winter, Olha’s family received an insulation kit and a heater from UNHCR which enabled her to reduce heat loss in her house and improve living conditions, preparing for the cold season. “With the heater, we can keep our house warm longer and this really changes things for us,” Olha shares.
Insulation materials are delivered to families in the most affected areas to help them stay warm during winter.
A similar sense of relief was felt by Anna, who now lives in Lukasheve with her mother and her 10-year-old daughter after leaving their home in another village in the same region. When they arrived, they were able to find a house to stay in, but it offered minimal protection from the cold.
“There was almost nothing here at first,” Anna says. “We fixed everything step by step. The insulation kit helped us protect the house from draughts, especially around the windows.”
Today, Anna works as a cleaner to support her family, while her daughter continues her education online. Near their home, they have planted a small garden — a simple routine that brings stability and a sense of normal life.
After fleeing the war, Anna and her family found shelter in a house that needed renovation.
Since the beginning of the crisis, and thanks to donors such as KSrelief, UNHCR has provided insulation kits to over 20,000 people across Ukraine. The kits include materials that help seal windows and doors, reduce drafts, and keep warmth inside the home.
Distributed ahead of winter, these materials remain an essential part of UNHCR’s winter response that also includes cash assistance, as well as repairs to homes and collective sites hosting displaced people.
