EU Project to Help Ukrainians with Adaptation in Wartime

The European Union has launched a series of expert videos for Ukrainians — Dovidka.info. The project was launched in cooperation with the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security under the Ministry of Culture. The videos are dedicated to issues relevant for all Ukrainians, regardless of where they currently live and how they have been affected by the war. Three times a week, video instructions are released on the SPRAVDI YouTube channel, on the Centre’s social media and on partner platforms.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, more than 74,000 residential buildings have been destroyed. The unemployment rate in Ukraine is expected to reach 30% by the end of 2022, according to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine. And those who were not affected by these problems still experience the realities of war every day: through constant threats of shelling, through power and water cuts, new prices for food, etc.

“Today, Ukrainians are confronted with many issues that they have never faced before. Therefore, we consider it important to support Dovidka.info that provides support in these situations. The project experts explain how to help a grieving person, how businesses can survive during the war, how those who were forced to leave their homes can adapt. Ukrainians have already experienced the first waves of emotions from the terrible circumstances of the war. However, there is a long way to go to overcome the consequences of the Russian invasion. This project aims to help people take this path and give hope, show possible ways of growth,” explains Martin Schroeder, head of Local and Human Development in the EU Delegation.

The project experts are professionals with many years of experience in law, economics, construction, and health. “The project not only provides answers, but also invites viewers to choose the topics of the future videos. They take part in the discussion in the comments and ask questions, to which experts will later give clear answers or step-by-step instructions,” says Mykola Balaban, deputy head of the Centre for Strategic Communication.

Today, 51 videos have already been published. The project will last until June 2023. It is funded by the European Union.

The Dovidka.info video project became a logical follow-up of the Dovidka.info website, which was published exactly one day before the full-scale invasion. The authors update the Dovidka.info website daily with instructions on how to act during the war. In 9 months, more than 1.5 million readers visited the website, and more than 400 thousand used chatbots that duplicate these tips in a handy format.