The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
Women building safe spaces to protect maternity care in Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, where air-raid alerts disrupt daily life, women are creating safer spaces for other women to give birth.
Photos
- ©UNOPS/Veronika Yaresko
We had to provide care to newborns and women in a basement. Due to intense shelling, we spent three months there, practically living in the shelter.
In Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, shelling and attacks continue to damage homes and critical infrastructure. Power outages and security risks remain part of daily life. Hospitals are under particular pressure. Not all facilities have protective shelters properly equipped for medical care, complicating the work of medical personnel and limiting safe spaces for childbirth.
“In the first months of the war, we faced unprecedented challenges: medical staff had difficulty reaching the hospital, and suppliers could not deliver the necessary medications,” said Nana Pasiashvili, Obstetrician-Gynecologist.
“We had to provide care to newborns and women in a basement. Due to intense shelling, we spent three months there, practically living in the shelter,” she added.
During air-raid alerts, pregnant women must move to safer areas. For hospital staff, ensuring continuous care under these conditions is a constant challenge.
Two hospitals – receiving support through the project, – have basements that can serve as shelters. These spaces are now being renovated to provide safe and functional areas for maternity wards, operating rooms and reception areas during air-raid alerts.
Sometimes I feel completely exhausted, but when I come to work and think that one day my own daughter might give birth here and I will know it’s safe and comfortable, my motivation comes back instantly.
Led by UNFPA, this project supports the refurbishment of hospital basements to ensure the continuity of essential services. UNOPS is implementing the renovation works, while UNFPA oversees the project and equips the spaces with mobile medical equipment.
Even though conditions are challenging during the war, I try to balance my work and perform it at a high level. I understand that what we are doing is important. Our work will help women and hospital staff stay in safer conditions.
Many women have joined the construction efforts. At both hospital sites, women workers are carrying out demolition, plastering, painting and welding.
“Almost all of my colleagues are women. There are many of us in this field now. I would encourage other women not to be afraid of this industry and to join the workforce, because there are many opportunities here to be useful and fulfill your potential,” says Oksana.
Once completed, the renovated basements will provide protected spaces for patients and medical staff during air-raid alerts. Equipped with mobile medical devices, the dual-purpose areas will help ensure that maternal and neonatal services can continue uninterrupted.
By strengthening protective infrastructure in healthcare facilities, the project supports safer conditions for pregnant women and medical personnel in Kharkiv. Beyond the physical upgrades, the work reflects a strong message of solidarity – women contributing directly to safer healthcare spaces for other women.
Global Goals we are supporting through this initiative:
