As part of the national project “Side by Side: United Communities,” an online seminar titled “Sharing Experiences in Providing Social Support to Internally Displaced Persons” was held, bringing together social protection specialists from the Bakhmut and Gostomel communities. The event was organized by the Social Protection Department of the Bakhmut City Council.
Inna Spodina, Head of the Social Protection Department of the Bakhmut City Council, and Alina Stratienko, Head of the Social Protection Division of the Gostomel Settlement Military Administration, emphasized the importance of intermunicipal cooperation, mutual support, and the exchange of practical experience in providing social guarantees for internally displaced persons.
Representatives of the Bakhmut community presented their experience in implementing the “Program for the Support and Integration of Internally Displaced Persons,” the activities of humanitarian hubs, the organization of health and wellness programs for children among IDPs, and practical aspects of transporting humanitarian cargo and delivering humanitarian aid via postal services. In turn, experts from the Gostomel community shared their own best practices regarding the organization of social support for internally displaced persons.
The participants focused particularly on discussing current challenges in the field of social protection, ways to ensure the rights and social guarantees of internally displaced persons, and the prospects for developing intermunicipal cooperation. The open dialogue provided an opportunity to share practical solutions that have already proven effective in the work of local communities.
Based on materials from the Bakhmut City Council