Six regional centers, a standardized methodology for assessing water bodies, and trained local operators. Communities no longer have to wait for external expert assessments and now have the data they need to apply for restoration funding.
Communities are often aware of specific water-related issues but lack a comprehensive overview needed to make decisions about restoration. The project provides them with a standardized methodology, a digital model of the water body, and trained local operators, while scientists verify the collected data remotely.
These are the targets of the concept submitted for the competition on August 7, 2026, not the work already completed. The ranges are kept as specified in the application: exact figures depend on the amount of funding and the security situation in the territories.
Four years of work on water systems have revealed one recurring issue. The community is aware of specific damaged sections: a well isn’t working here, there’s flooding there, and the water level has changed in this reservoir. There is no comprehensive picture, and as a result, decisions on restoration are made blindly.
The second part of the problem is time. A comprehensive assessment of a single community’s water system requires specialists from various fields and several months of work. For each new area, the process starts from scratch. At this pace, the network of communities will never be completed.
Not through surveys, but through our own field visits. Since 2022, the foundation has been addressing the environmental consequences of the war at the community level: first, documenting the impacts, followed by field surveys of water supply and wastewater systems, laboratory water testing, a comparative analysis of water management in five small towns, and GIS mapping of the pilot area.
The Tsyrkunivska Community, Kharkiv Oblast: What the Pilot Area Revealed
Before the full-scale invasion, centralized water supply covered about 85% of the community’s housing stock; after infrastructure damage, it covered approximately 40%. Of the twelve pre-war artesian wells, three were operational. The area’s water system comprises over 270 hectares of water surface, 8.5 km of the Kharkiv River channel, and approximately 240 hectares of floodplain meadows and wetlands around the Vyalovskyi Reservoir. This describes the community and the state of its infrastructure, not the scope of work carried out by the foundation.
The goal is to provide the community with systematic data it can rely on when setting reconstruction priorities and developing project solutions. Currently, water-related problems are being documented, but no solutions are being developed based on this information.
| Objectives | What We Are Doing | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Expand the network of regional chapters | We will establish six regional hubs based on local organizations and universities | Each region has its own data collection point |
| Train local operators | We train them to work with a standardized assessment protocol | 12–18 operators, at least 40% of whom are women |
| Assess water bodies | Field data collection, GIS mapping, digital model of the water body | 12–25 sites covering 120–250 hectares with verified data |
| Shorten the path from problem to solution | We prepare rapid pre-project preparation packages | 6–12 packages that communities can use to secure funding |
| Move from monitoring to protection | We work with water body profiles, riparian protection zones, and integration into local planning | Ecosystem-based measures are documented |
A single assessment method across all regions to ensure data comparability.
Raw data is collected by a trained local operator.
Water bodies, strips, hydraulic structures, water intake and discharge points—all in a single spatial layer.
Scientists and subject matter experts verify the collected data without visiting the site.
Technical, environmental, and spatial information in a single document for the community.
The division of roles is the essence of this model. Field visits are expensive and require safe access, while analysis requires specialized expertise. When raw data is collected by a trained local operator and a specialist joins remotely, the assessment no longer depends on whether an expert team can travel to the site.
The territories were selected so that the methodology could be tested under various conditions: in de-occupied and frontline areas, temporarily occupied areas, as well as industrial, mining, and agricultural regions. If the model works in all six, it can be applied more broadly.
The Tsyrkunivska community and the Siverskyi Donets River basin near Chuhuiv. This is a de-occupied and frontline area: the effects of hostilities compound the damage to the water supply and wastewater systems. Here, the project undergoes a full cycle.
The Irpin and Stugna basins, the Fastiv community, and communities in the Bucha district. The focus is on changes in the hydrological regime after 2022, the condition of hydraulic structures, and the risks of flooding.
The Lysychansk community and the Siverskyi Donets River. The territory is temporarily occupied, so we are working with archival documents, materials from the displaced community, and satellite data. Field verification will take place once safe access is restored.
The Ingulets River Basin. The type of vulnerability is different: aquatic ecosystems are under high industrial pressure due to iron ore mining.
Ingul River Basin. Water scarcity combined with the region’s industrial legacy, particularly uranium mining.
Vorskla and Psel River Basins. The condition of aquatic ecosystems is determined by oil and gas production and agricultural activities.
The project concept has been submitted for the first stage of the GEF Small Grants Programme, CSO Challenge (IUCN).
CompletedWe are coordinating partner contributions and the composition of regional chapters.
In progressDeployment of chapters, selection and training of local operators.
ScheduledforPre-project packages have been delivered to communities, and the methodology has been packaged for replication in other regions.
PlannedStraight from the concept
The project does not fund large-scale water infrastructure construction. Its goal is to provide communities with data, methodologies, and ready-made solutions so that future investments are directed toward well-founded priorities rather than guesswork.
Practical environmental protection measures within the scope of the project are possible, but they are small-scale and limited to safe areas: restoration of riparian vegetation, buffer zones, spring cleanup, and community initiatives.
No field research is conducted in occupied or dangerous areas. This limitation is built into the model rather than identified during the process: for such communities, the project provides for remote work using archival, documentary, and satellite data.
| Organization | Role in the Project | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Charitable Organization “International Unity Movement” | Applicant and Implementer | Coordination, fieldwork, methodology |
| NHE Tech Ltd | Technology Partner | Rapid assessment platform and engineering time |
| V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University | Research Partner | Laboratory facilities and expert time |
Regional centers are established within local organizations and universities. The list will be updated once the list of participants is confirmed.
“LIVING WATER” is based on the results of previous work in this field. Each stage addressed a question raised by the previous one.
A shift from responding to destruction to analyzing long-term risks to water, soil, and natural areas in communities.
The state of the environment began to be considered in relation to infrastructure and people’s needs, rather than in isolation.
From a general assessment to a specific territory: water supply, wastewater management, groundwater, and ecosystems as a single system.
Field surveys and laboratory studies. Key conclusion: An environmental assessment must be conducted before an investment decision is made, not after.
It became clear that a unified methodology is needed: problems of different origins require the same assessment method.
Standardized field data collection, a digital model of the water body, and remote expert consultation.
Transition from individual territories to a network of communities using a common methodology.
This projectAbout the Organization
Charitable Organization “International Movement of Unity” Foundation, EDRPOU 44797809. Compliance management system in accordance with ISO 37301:2021. A separate budget and separate financial report for each project. Confidential inquiries: [email protected]. The complete partner verification package is available on the Partners page.
We are accepting full applications and are open to partnerships: co-funding, scientific expertise, access to territories, and joint submissions.
