Location
Haliivka, Zhytomyr region, UKRAINE
Grantee
Yulia Honyshnuk
Project
Haliivka Village Library Revitalization
YULIA HONYSHNUK
Yulia Honyshnuk has spent years caring for the library of Haliivka, a small rural village in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region. Watching her community navigate war, displacement, and isolation, she saw the library as a potential lifeline and set out to turn it into a living hub where children, elderly residents, youth, and internally displaced persons could find books, connection, and belonging. Working through prolonged power outages, unstable heating, and an uncertain security situation, Yulia and her team adapted their plans again and again to keep programming going. Their demonstrated impact earned the project an additional $1,000 grant, and the team is now expanding its programming and partnerships to strengthen the library’s role as a civic space for the whole village.
What the seed grant made possible
190
people directly impacted through the project
15+
community events organized during the grant period
30+
students trained in cybersecurity and cyberbullying prevention
20+
requests from socially vulnerable residents addressed through accessibility and mental health support
The project
- With approximately $490 in TPP funding, the team purchased a Smart TV and router, bringing connectivity and screen-based programming to the library for the first time.
- Rechargeable LED lamps kept activities running during the frequent power outages that disrupt daily life in the region, while board games, craft supplies, and creative tools turned the library into a space for hands-on activities.
- A youth leisure club now meets three times a week, and a reading club of around 8 regular members gathers monthly to discuss new literary works.
- A cybersecurity and cyberbullying training held in partnership with CrimeaSOS and Right to Protection reached more than 30 students.
- Following this first phase, the project received an additional $1,000 grant to expand programming and deepen community partnerships.
Yulia Honyshnuk and her team have turned the library of Haliivka, a small village in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, into a cultural and educational hub for a community living with war, displacement, and isolation. With TPP support, the library gained the equipment to stay open and active through power outages and interrupted internet, hosted more than 15 events, and directly reached 190 people, from young people and elderly residents to internally displaced families. The challenges of working under these conditions also built a more flexible and resilient team, ready to keep the library at the center of village life in the phases ahead.