The Sunrise: (Re)building an educational centre

We are transforming a war-shelled hotel in Chernihiv (Ukraine) into a place of encounter, rehabilitation and trauma recovery.

After months of Russian occupation, a former hotel complex in Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine near the Russian border, is now to be turned into a place where local civil society structures can meet and people affected by the war may overcome their traumas: Project Sunrise.

Funding period

11/29/22 - 3/23/23

Realisation

Opening in summer 2023

Website & Social Media

Minimum amount (Start level): 5,000 €

After the completion of basic renovation work, several families who lost their homes due to the war, can already get a temporary home in the Sunrise.

City

Tschernihiw

What is this project all about?

Russia's war has caused damage and destruction of unimaginable dimensions in Ukraine. Not only have countless private homes and infrastructure been destroyed, but also facilities and meeting places for local civil society. Because of the war, there is a lack of places where activists can meet and interact. Quite a few of them suffer from permanent stress, overload and trauma, too.

Especially in places like Chernihiv that were formerly occupied, reconstruction is not only a material issue: communities need to rebuild themselves, individual and collective health needs to be restored, stress and resilience need to be strengthened.

Libereco and the EHRHC are pursuing a holistic approach with the Sunrise project, which includes the reconstruction of buildings as well as civil society structures and personal and mental health, in order to be able to lay the foundation for peacemaking processes in the decades to come.

What is the project goal and who is the project for?

Local, regional and international civil society activists
Activists, especially from Ukraine, in need of trauma-informed rehabilitation
People affected by war who need temporary accommodation
Key civil society actors interested in resilience and capacity building
Marginalised groups, including minorities and LGBTQ+

Why would you support this project?

To strengthen a civil society, you have to take care of the people who built and sustain it. The key to a stable and strong Ukrainian civil society lies in restoring the health of the people who care about the problems of the community and the country. Only then can they resume their civil society engagement.

Especially in the formerly occupied territories, it is elementary that people engaged in civil society can recover from stress and trauma. And that they know how to promote resilience in their communities.

How will we use the money if the project is successfully funded?

The total cost of the project is 300,000 EUR. In order to make the building winter-proof, work on securing the building fabric already began in October.

83,000 EUR are earmarked for the renovation of the roof and walls
75,000 EUR planned for sanitary installations, plumbing, ceilings and floors
37,000 EUR for barrier-free access
55,000 EUR for interior fittings and training rooms
50,000 EUR for the conversion of the grounds, including a river access and a banja

Who are the people behind the project?

Founded in 2014, the Human Rights House Chernihiv is an important meeting and training place for both Ukrainian and international civil society. The Human Rights House is run by an association of 13 Ukrainian NGOs who believe in the importance of meetings and education for the protection of human rights and long-term positive changes in society. The EHRHC organises trainings and seminars and runs its own projects in the field of formal and informal education and the promotion and protection of human rights.

Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights is an independent German-Swiss NGO working for the protection of human rights in Belarus and Ukraine. Libereco was founded in 2009 and has since been providing information on human rights violations, supporting victims of war and violence, engaging in intercultural human rights education and providing humanitarian aid including psychosocial support. Libereco works closely with local organisations and activists.

For more information visit:
https://humanrightshouse.org/human-rights-houses/chernihiv/
https://www.libereco.org/en/

Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights https://www.libereco.org

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