"Despite everything, our work continues": the story of a woman creating a space for her community

Valentyna Ushata in her village, September 2026. Photo: NGO "LAMPA" 

For nearly 35 years, Valentyna Ushata has worked for her community in Snovske, Chernihiv region. She is a head of the local community cultural centre, organizes meetings and activities, oversees its operations, and engages women and men from the village in community events. For Valentyna, it is more than just a workplace – it is a vocation to which she has devoted most of her life. Even after the building was destroyed in shelling in May 2026, she continued her work and helped restore the space in a new premises. 

Valentyna’s life’s work 
 

Community cultural centre in Snovske village, Chernihiv region. Photo: NGO "LAMPA" 

Valentyna Ushata was born and has lived all her life in Snovske village, Chernihiv region. In 1992, she became head of the local community cultural centre – a role to which she has devoted nearly 35 years.

According to Valentyna, these years were filled with lively and diverse activities. The cultural centre hosted choir and dance groups, regularly prepared concert programmes, and its performers also took part in events in neighbouring communities. It was a place where people from across the village came together for celebrations, rehearsals, meetings and simply to spend time together.

For Valentyna, it was important that the cultural centre remained a vibrant community space where people could meet and spend time together. She organized community clean-up activities, supported the work of local groups, and encouraged women and men from the village to take part in joint activities.

However, recent years have brought new challenges for the community and disrupted its usual way of life. The COVID-19 pandemic led to restrictions on public gatherings, while following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the security situation made it impossible to return to the usual formats of work, including concerts, trips and large group rehearsals. The activities of the cultural centre gradually became more limited.

Despite this, Valentyna continued looking for opportunities to engage with the community and support what remained important to local people. 

A space that brought the community together

Information session for women in the equipped space of the community cultural centre in Snovske, Chernihiv region, March 2026. Photo: NGO "LAMPA"  

In October 2025, the community cultural centre in Snovske village was selected to participate in the project "Resilient Me: Support, Development and Safety for Rural Women and Girls in Snovske Community", implemented by the NGO "LAMPA" with technical support from UN Women Ukraine and funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).

As part of the project, a multifunctional space for women and girls was established at the centre. It became a place for socializing, learning, recreation and a range of activities 

The space was equipped with recreation areas, learning and work places, a children’s area with books and board games, as well as sports equipment. It quickly became a meeting place for community members of different ages, from adolescents to older women.

For Valentyna, the new space offered an opportunity to bring active community life back to the cultural centre. Women and young people could once again gather there, participate in activities, and access new opportunities for learning and socializing. 

A loss that is difficult to put into words  

The destroyed community cultural centre, May 2026. Photo: NGO "LAMPA" 

In May 2026, the cultural centre was destroyed in shelling. The building’s property and equipment were also lost. For Valentyna, this meant losing a place that had been part of her life for nearly 35 years. For the community, it meant losing a space for meetings, social interaction and community activities. 

"This is a great personal loss for me, because this club was the heart of the village and the only place where people could gather," Valentyna says.

Starting again 

Restored space for women and girls, 2026. Photo: NGO "LAMPA"

Despite the destruction of the cultural centre, the work did not stop. In coordination with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Snovske City Council, a new premises was provided for community activities. With the support of UN Women Ukraine and funding from WPHF, the NGO "LAMPA" once again established a space for women and girls. Despite the loss of the previous space, women and men in the community once again have a place to meet, learn and connect.

The new premises include children’s, co-working and sports areas and have been equipped with the necessary furniture and equipment. Valentyna was actively involved in restoring the space: she helped set it up and supported the resumption of activities for women, girls and young people in the community. Today, she organizes meetings and activities and oversees the space. For Valentyna, restoring the space has provided an opportunity to continue the work to which she has devoted most of her life. Through her daily work and commitment, the new space quickly became part of community life.

"Despite everything, our work continues. We are sincerely grateful to the NGO "LAMPA", UN Women and WPHF for the new space for the people of our village, which has allowed us to continue our work: young people are happy to come here, women from the community are gathering again, and I will do everything I can to keep this life going," says Valentyna. 

The project “Resilient Me: Support, Development and Safety for Rural Women and Girls in the Snovsk Community” is implemented by the NGO "LAMPA" with technical support from UN Women in Ukraine funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine. The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.

This publication is produced with funding from the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.