Transcarpathia is the westernmost corner of the war-battered country of Ukraine. Protected by the high mountain peaks of the Carpathians, thousands of peple trying to escape from the horrors of war have found peace and relative safety here. Uzhhorod - a lively Ukrainian city located by the river Ung, a tributary of the Tisza river - is one of the settlements, taking in a lot of refugees. The DTP Tid(y)Up project partner Ukrainian Agency of Regional Development and Crossborder Cooperation "Zakarpattia" chose this place for their headquarters. We made an online interview with Valentyn Voloshyn, project manager at the agency about the situation over the Ukrainian border.

How is the general mood in your city?

People are worried of course, locals are also worried from growing number of internally displaced people. We have currently additional 400.000 people in a region which is a home for 1,1 million. Uzhhorod, according to some data is doubled in population. Newcomers, in turn, are lost, need real support, and have no clear plans.

According to the news many people found refuge there. How does it effect everyday life?

The resources seem to be in sufficient amounts, although first two weeks supermarket were unusually undersupplied. Now everything is working pretty well. Of course, services like wastewater or waste management have postponed effects, which probably we will feel few months later.

Mr. Voloshyn in Kosice, Slovakia meeting Tid(y)Up partners back in 2021

How about bank transactions and ATMs? Do they work?

Everything works well, and in good speed. However, there are certain limitations, especially with regards to payments abroad , or when buying cash foreign currency.

The visit of the Floating Exhibition to Ukraine had to be postponed. What options do you see to carry on with the Tid(y)Up project?

We are really looking forward to cleanups and roundtables, but since the project is post-financed, we depend on funding from regional budget, and that one is reallocated of course. We plan to run at least one of the roundtables on time, in June.

Do you need anything in particular? How can we help?

So, villages generally need food, hygiene and sleeping accessories incl. mattraces. Mattraces are especially important because they are the key to host more people in the region. Regarding the our office and team needs, we all continue working, although reorganized to new volunteer tasks. Right now we desperately miss additional furniture for volunteers.

interview by Attila D. Molnar

#dtptidyup #interregtidyup