Focused specifically on the immediate stabilisation needs of the most vulnerable communities, the RRM is directly linked to ‘resilience as survival’ within PFRU’s spectrum.
Filling a specific niche in wider donor support, the RRM delivers swift response to emergencies and crises in priority communities on the frontlines and border areas of Ukraine, maintaining the ability to rapidly deploy pre-positioned stock from the PFRU warehouse to beneficiaries in as little as one day following identification of urgent need.
Wider support includes:
✔️ the compliant procurement and delivery of equipment if maintained in warehouse stock
✔️ training
✔️ emergency planning
✔️ coordination
✔️ strategic communications
RRM activities are designed to build the resilience of target communities to better prepare for and respond to attacks and increasing Russian pressure to (re)-occupy territories.
Moreover, by providing immediate support under RRM, PFRU also builds and maintains trust with local communities and the Government, creating potential entry points for engagement for other Strategic Projects who focus on working with wider list of state institutions, business entities, civil society and media.
The RRM equipment portfolio provides essential, life-preserving support to frontline, border, and recently affected hromadas, ensuring that critical local services can continue operating during periods of acute pressure.
Through this portfolio, PFRU delivers a wide range of carefully selected equipment that strengthens the ability of hromadas to withstand disruptions, protect public infrastructure, and maintain continuity of essential services.
This support includes:
The portfolio also covers materials for rapid stabilisation of damaged public infrastructure, including basic shelter repair items and construction materials.
These enable hromadas to restore functionality of critical facilities following incidents.
In addition, RRM provides communication and emergency-readiness tools, such as:
Equipment support is grounded in ongoing assessments and close coordination with hromada leaders. All items are chosen due to their proven contribution to civilian protection, service continuity, and hromada resilience.
Overall, the RRM equipment portfolio represents a significant pillar of PFRU’s support: timely, needs-driven, and adaptable to the rapidly evolving conditions faced by Ukraine’s most exposed hromadas.
The RRM non-equipment portfolio strengthens frontline and border communities’ capacity to survive, respond, and recover from crises.
It focuses on building:
This enables communities to act decisively under pressure and sustain critical functions in high-risk environments.
Training equips local officials, rescue responders, social workers, and volunteers with practical skills in first aid, mine safety, crisis response, mental health, and leadership. These competencies empower communities to protect civilians, reduce preventable harm, and maintain cohesion when professional services are overstretched. Initiatives include structured skill-building sessions, e.g., Safe Community: Basic Preparedness for Living Alongside War.
Emergency planning support helps communities develop protocols for sheltering, evacuation, and protection of critical assets. By rehearsing scenarios, making informed decisions, and coordinating with neighbouring hromadas and local emergency teams, administrations strengthen both their own resilience and that of surrounding areas. Example: Adaptive Emergency Planning for Frontline and Border Hromadas.
Coordination enables structured interaction between local authorities, emergency responders, and donors, fostering reliable communication, resource sharing, and collective problem-solving. Example: Resilience Workshops for Leaders of Frontline and Border Hromadas.
Strategic communications complement these efforts by helping administrations deliver clear, actionable guidance to residents, e.g., Emergency Content Bank.
The portfolio is deliberately adaptive, designed to anticipate and respond to the evolving dynamics of war. By embedding flexibility, continuous learning, and context-sensitive decision-making, it enables communities to navigate uncertainty, address emerging risks, and sustain functional and social resilience even in prolonged crises.
To ensure this, PFRU has established a Regional Team composed of Oblast Advisors who are originally from the target oblasts.
These advisors:
Partners on the ground trust them based on their high expertise, shared experience of the same local challenges and ability to genuinely represent local perspectives to national and international decision-makers.
Supporting PFRU’s strategic work
The Regional Team informs all PFRU Strategic Projects about the local context, rapidly changing security and political situations, flag potential partnerships through the lenses of strategic resilience building and drive emerging community sustainability ideas.
Rapid support in the regions
The Regional Team also serves as the rapid response provider for oblast-centre hromadas and for hromadas not covered by the RRM portfolio, ensuring that hospitals, administrative buildings, and critical infrastructure facilities obtain urgent assistance after shelling and foe attacks.
