LocationsKamianske: From industrial past to people-centred future
February 23, 2026
Kamianske, an industrial city of 200,000 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, had long lived by the familiar rhythm of a major industrial centre.
Just ten years ago, Kamianske was known as Dniprodzerzhynsk. It grew up around two factories and largely retained the old infrastructure that arose and developed alongside them.
However, the community gradually began to feel the need for change. People wanted a modern, comfortable city that could offer new opportunities. Activists, local authorities, and engaged residents started seeking new approaches, creating spaces for support and learning, and making the city more open and people-centred.
New opportunities for the older generation
One of the most vulnerable groups in today’s digital world has been the people who spent decades building the factories and carrying the city on their shoulders. Digital skills are now essential for tasks like online banking, electronic documents, and utility payments — as everything moves to smartphones.
To help older people remain independent, a Social Adaptation Space was opened in Kamianske with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and the Government of Sweden. Here, elderly residents attend sessions with a psychologist and group training, learn to use smartphones and computers, or receive individual consultations.
Tetiana Troyan, Deputy Director of the Social Services Centre, says that people of very different ages — from 60 to 80+ — attend the classes. The space is fully inclusive, ensuring anyone can participate without barriers.
“Today, we have 54 learners,” says Troyan. “We organize individual and group sessions for them. They work with a psychologist and master modern technology. Many have relatives who moved abroad, so they need to manage utility payments and online banking on their own. Besides, to stay in touch with relatives — for example, via Zoom or messengers — they also need to learn how to use a smartphone. It’s important to teach people, and we’ve taken on this responsibility.”
Beyond digital skills, the programme also includes physical activity, specifically Nordic walking. Training in this takes place in three districts of the city and has already become part of the daily routine of many participants.
Eighty-year-old Liubov is one of the learners. She joined only two months ago, but she already confidently uses her smartphone, online banking, and other digital services.
“I have a laptop at home, but I mostly work with my phone,” she says. “The most important thing is banking. I receive my pension myself and already know how to make payments. Earlier, I relied on my children for this, but now I can do everything on my own — including paying in stores, handling utilities, and using Diia. It’s wonderful!”
For residents, the Social Adaptation Space has become more than a place of learning — it is an opportunity to retain independence, activity, and a sense of belonging to the community.
Mobile Administrative Services: Bringing services closer
In Kamianske, the local authorities are carefully listening to residents’ needs, and this has driven changes in administrative services. Previously, obtaining any certificate meant spending a lot of time in queues, trips to the centre, and endless paperwork. Even after modern Administrative Service Centre (ASC) opened, the workload remained high, and some people — especially older residents or those living in remote areas — could not always reach the centre building.
To address this issue, a mobile ASC appeared in the city with the support of UNDP and the EU. This specially equipped vehicle that fully replicates the functionality of a stationary centre and can operate anywhere in the community.
The vehicle is fully equipped, with a generator, laptops, printers, a Wi-Fi hotspot, ramp, air conditioning, heater, rain awning, and even benches for visitors. The team can set up their workspace within minutes and start serving residents.
“We’ve already made 150 trips,” says Maryna Hurska, Director of the Department of Municipal Services and Regulatory Policy. “We go out twice a week on schedule. First, this reduces queues at the main ASC, and second, people don’t need to travel far. We also take this mobile ASC to locations hit by Russian shelling to immediately document damage and serve residents on the spot. They are often busy saving their property or simply too stressed to travel to the stationary centre. So we come to them ourselves.”
Almost all services can be provided at the mobile ASC, with the exception of those requiring special equipment, such as issuing passports or driver’s licenses.
The initiative has made administrative services truly accessible — the way they should be in a modern, people-centred city.
The community’s future begins with youth
One of the challenges Kamianske faces is the outflow of young people. Following the decline of major industrial enterprises, opportunities for development and self-realization became fewer, causing young residents to leave for larger cities or abroad.
To reverse this trend, the Place of Strength Resilience Centre was established with the support of UNFPA, UNDP, and the EU. This space helps young people get involved in community life, gain new skills, and implement their own ideas.
“We held two training-of-trainers sessions for those who will later teach young people,” says Kateryna Borovyk, coordinator of the Place of Strength centre. “The first was about recovery through civic engagement, the second about recovery through volunteering. Sixteen young people attended each training. Now they conduct workshops for their peers.”
According to Borovyk, thanks to these workshops more than 640 young residents will be able to strengthen their civic engagement and learn more about participating in recovery processes.
And this is just one area of the hub’s work.
The project also included an ideathon — an event where young people presented proposals for improving the community. The city council funded the best ideas, which are already moving into implementation.
Borovyk is convinced that such programmes are not just events but a way to restore young people’s belief in their ability to make an impact and find opportunities for self-realization in their hometown.
“Recovery is not only about buildings, structures, and construction materials,” she says. “Our task is to involve as many young people as possible in these processes. They get engaged in community life — and they stay. This affects each individual’s decision to remain in Ukraine and in their community, and not to leave it.”
Today, the Place of Strength works on recovery projects, support for veterans, and youth initiatives. They have also presented ideas for environmental safety and improvements in local governance. One of the winning projects focuses on increasing environmental awareness among youth and involving them in environmental protection — a particularly relevant topic for Kamianske, which remains a heavily industrialized city.
A shared path to renewal
The city still faces serious challenges, as change takes time, especially in a large industrial centre with over 200,000 residents. Yet, the implemented projects are already showing visible results.
Kamianske is gradually gaining a new identity through its initiatives, spaces, and people ready to transform the environment around them. Step by step, a renewed city is taking shape — where older people receive support, young people find opportunities, and the entire community grows stronger.
This is what true recovery means: the feeling that the future is not just something to wait for, but something to create together.
Photo credit: Kostiantyn Levchenko / UNDP in Ukraine
The story was prepared as part of the campaign “Ukraine Delivers,” a joint initiative by the Ministry for the Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
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