On October 12, 2023, representatives of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, East Europe Foundation and the State Emergency Service (SES) leadership visited the SES Training Center in Kyiv. The visit took place within the framework of the Spilnodiia Program  implemented by East Europe Foundation with funding from the European Union.

Asier Santillán, Head of the Good Governance and Rule of Law Section at the EU Delegation to Ukraine, noted the high level of involvement of all representatives of the public sector and civil society in Ukraine’s recovery.

“Despite the war, there is a sense of positivity and people’s willingness to help each other, a desire to be involved in change-making processes. It is important that there is a global understanding of how to rebuild the country, both at the state and public levels. Such synchronization will definitely contribute to Ukraine’s victory.”, said Mr. Santillan Luzuriaga during his visit to the SES Training Center in Kyiv.

The center is located on the territory of the largest fire station in Europe. It is here that 250 volunteer firefighters successfully completed training and received certificates through the Spilnodiia Program.

“Some of the cadets promptly went to the Kherson region and helped deal with the consequences of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant explosion,” said Victor Liakh, President of East Europe Foundation. “We managed to achieve this result thanks to the coordinated work of the State Emergency Service, East Europe Foundation, grantee partners of the Spilnodiia Program and, of course, volunteers.”

The Center was modernized by joint efforts. In particular, classrooms were renovated and equipped with the necessary technology.

“The most promising way to improve the overall response system is to create such volunteer units,” said Roman Prymush, Deputy Head of the SES for Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization. “We are grateful to our partners for their support and assistance in modernizing the Center where dozens of volunteers are trained every day.”

During the visit, participants discussed results and projects implemented – such as the mobile application, Demining Ukraine, which was developed in cooperation with the SES. They also agreed to further cooperate, develop new projects and launch campaigns that contribute to both victory and rebuilding a strong Ukraine.