Last year, the “Romashka” kindergarten in the town of Kotelva in Poltava region still welcomed its eighty pupils through old windows that let the draft in, under a roof that had long been begging for repair. Reconstruction changed all that in under a year — and today the facility stands as one of the rare examples where international financing actually reached a specific building in a specific town, rather than staying a line item in a report.
For local communities and construction companies working with government and international clients, the Kotelva story is a practical illustration of how co-financing through the European Investment Bank works. It is not a one-off act of charity, but a model that dozens of other town and city councils searching for funding for schools, hospitals and kindergartens can replicate.
Kindergarten Reconstruction: What Was Done in Kotelva
The work at “Romashka” covered practically the entire building. Here is what changed:
- replaced the roof, which had needed repair for years
- installed energy-efficient windows and doors
- upgraded utility networks, facades and interior spaces
- purchased new furniture and equipment for the learning groups
- adapted the premises to the needs of children with disabilities
The facility is attended by 80 children, including some from internally displaced families, and employs 15 staff members. The total cost of the modernization was EUR 526,000.
EIB Financing: Who Paid for the Kindergarten’s Modernization
The bulk of the funding — EUR 438,000 — was provided by the European Investment Bank. The local community contributed a further EUR 88,000: without that contribution the project might never have gotten off the ground, since international financing here works as co-financing rather than full cost coverage.
The project was carried out under the Ukraine Recovery Program financed by the EIB. According to the bank, as of July 2026 the three EIB recovery programs had directed a combined EUR 740 million toward upgrading schools, kindergartens, hospitals, housing, heating and water supply systems across Ukraine. Kotelva is just one point on that map, but it is exactly this kind of example that shows how large figures translate into a specific warm roof over specific children.
Why Such Projects Matter for Communities Nationwide
For the construction industry, the Kotelva scheme is no less interesting than it is for educators. It sets out clear rules of the game: a community willing to allocate a share of co-financing in its own budget gains access to a much larger pool of external resources. Energy efficiency and barrier-free access here are not wishes but standard project requirements — a bar worth building into cost estimates and design documentation from the very start.
For smaller town councils that lack their own experience working with international financial institutions, Kotelva’s example is also a hint that such projects are entirely realistic even outside regional centers.
One renovated building will not change the country’s overall reconstruction statistics. But every such project is proof that international partners’ money really does reach the children who walk through the doors every day, rather than settling into paperwork. For the construction industry, it is also a signal: demand for high-quality, energy-efficient reconstruction of social facilities in communities will continue for a long time to come.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine
