This is what some of the premises in temporary accommodation sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Kharkiv region currently look like. These sites have been selected to participate in our new project.

Outdated bathrooms. Narrow doorways. Worn-out facilities. A lack of proper conditions for persons with disabilities and other people with reduced mobility.

In one of the photos, wheelchairs can be seen in the corridor. Right next to them are bathrooms that a wheelchair user would find virtually impossible to use independently.

And these are not simply photographs of facilities that have long been in need of renovation. These are the conditions in which people are living today — people who have already been forced to leave their own homes because of the war.

We are sorry that IDPs have to live in such conditions. But that is exactly why we are here.

We are deliberately documenting this “BEFORE” — because concrete changes are ahead.

At four selected temporary accommodation sites in Kharkiv, we plan to carry out works to improve accessibility and safety. These include renovating and adapting bathrooms to meet the needs of people with reduced mobility, widening doorways, replacing entrance and interior doors, installing ramps and handrails, removing thresholds, and adapting entrances and common areas. Where necessary, specialized equipment will also be installed.

This is not about simply repainting the walls and taking nice photographs.

Our goal is to make sure that a person can enter the building independently, move around it, use the bathroom, and feel safer and more dignified in the place that is currently their home.

So we are leaving these images here.

As our “BEFORE.”

And later, we will definitely show you the “AFTER.” We want the difference to be more than just visually striking in photographs — we want people to feel it in their everyday lives.

The project “Inclusive Accommodation and Protection of Vulnerable IDPs in the Kharkiv Region” is implemented by the Luhansk Association of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities with the support of the International Rescue Committee (IRC).