Community
WaterSystem
Ecovillages
Water Save System for ecovillages in Ukraine
**Description** Our project strengthens ecological resilience and climate adaptation in rural Ukraine through the installation of decentralized water systems and community-driven hydrological restoration across a network of ecovillages. Coordinated by **GEN Ukraine**, these efforts respond to growing water stress, seasonal droughts, and wartime disruption of basic infrastructure. The initiative involves residents, displaced families, eco-entrepreneurs, and community builders in co-developing low-tech yet effective solutions — such as rainwater harvesting, well drilling, swales, lake restoration, and irrigation networks — to secure water access for food growing, livestock care, and ecological regeneration. Water infrastructure projects are ongoing in **9 ecovillages**, including **Goloka** (Odesa), **Radariya** (Kyiv), **Tepla Hora** (Carpathians), **Bhumi** (Khmelnytskyi and Mykolaiv), **Svitanok Samara** (Dnipro), **Zhyvy Dim** (Kharkiv), **Omelyanivka** (Zhytomyr), and **Charyvne (Chmyrivka)** in the Kholodnyi Yar region of Cherkasy. These systems are not isolated assets — they are embedded in daily life, connected to permaculture hubs, forest gardens, veteran rehabilitation centers, and community kitchens. Projects are developed and maintained by local teams (often 5–15 people per site), with women and youth actively leading design, installation, and care. Refugees and war-affected communities contribute to and benefit from each system, turning adaptation into solidarity. ### **Key outcomes include:** * **9 decentralized water systems** implemented or underway (rainwater harvesting, wells, irrigation, lake systems) * **Over 65,000 liters** of total water storage capacity across all locations * **4 new wells** drilled in high-risk or drought-prone regions * **3 natural lakes recharged or being restored** (Svitanok Samara, **Chmyrivka**, Tepla Hora) * **Community-built wetland corridor** in Charyvne: 200,000 UAH crowdfunded, dam and pond system created by three hamlets to prevent landslides and restore habitat * **Swales and catchment systems** established to improve retention and reduce erosion * **Water-secure food production** for veterans, children, and displaced families * **Livestock water supply** secured for 120+ animals during blackouts in frontline zone This initiative showcases the power of grassroots communities to build climate resilience, even under conflict. Each roof, trench, and tank contributes not only to ecosystem regeneration — but to human dignity, autonomy, and long-term survival.