Volodymyr Myroshnychenko, legal advisor and analyst at the “League of the Strong” NGO, participated in a meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) on Age and Disability of the Protection Cluster within the humanitarian coordination system in Ukraine. He presented the results of a study on the impact of power outages on the lives of people with disabilities and their families.
A presentation of a study by the “League of the Strong” highlighted the critical impact of power outages on the lives of 462 families with members who have disabilities. The presentation focused on the needs of the most vulnerable groups.
This presentation was crucial for coordinating with the WASH cluster, as it highlighted critical issues related to water supply and sanitation.
“WASH is a cluster focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene. It serves as a vital international coordination mechanism for humanitarian organizations, governments, and donors. For the WASH Cluster, this data has become a key indicator, as 67.8% of respondents face hygiene issues due to a lack of water, which disappears for 24.5% of them during every power outage,” said Volodymyr Myroshnychenko.
The study received positive feedback from the meeting participants and sparked interest among representatives of the humanitarian sector. Group members, including Oleksandra Kovalenko, Viktoria Nazarenko, and Bohdan Pelekh, praised the way the study helps shape targeted humanitarian aid.
“Following the meeting, international donors will take into account the need for alternative nutrition expressed by 92.7% of respondents when planning their programs. This will also strengthen advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities before local authorities, as 59.2% of respondents currently receive no support from their communities,” commented Volodymyr Myroshnychenko.
As a reminder, according to the survey results:
- 92.4% of respondents reported a deterioration in their mental and emotional well-being due to power outages;
- among the key security threats, respondents cited heating problems (69.7%), insufficient lighting (51.3%), malfunctioning traffic lights (42.6%), and elevators (38.5%);
- water supply disruptions are also being reported: in 33.3% of cases, the water supply is interrupted occasionally, and in 24.5% of cases, it is interrupted during every outage.
Detailed results of the study are available at the following link: https://ls.org.ua/novyny/924-opytanyh-povidomyly-pro-pogirshennya-psyhoemoczijnogo-stanu-cherez-vidklyuchennya-svitla-rezultaty-opytuvannya-ligy-sylnyh/