Kyiv's Techno scene rebuilds - Reconstruction, to the beats

Repair Together was founded in May 2022 by four creative urbanites from the Kyiv techno scene. Unlike many other aid initiatives, this one combines reconstruction with community, creativity and music. In the summer of 2022, their "reconstruction raves" drew hundreds of volunteers from around the world to clean up and rebuild destroyed villages in northern Ukraine. But the longer the war lasts and the colder the temperatures get, the harder it gets to maintain the group’s cohesion. Support also threatens to wane. As temperatures drop, people tend to go to indoor techno parties -- not ones held on open-air construction sites. As winter approaches, fewer and fewer volunteers sign up for construction work, forcing the foursome to pause most reconstruction projects until it gets warmer, again. But Dasha and Vika, two of the organizers of Repair Together, want to continue building a house just before spring. Because they know that if they don't give the family back their home as soon as possible, in all likelihood, no one will. "All hopes are just with NGOs, like ours. Because the state can't help, it's at war. It does not yet have the capacity to build private homes," Vika knows. To attract helpers to their building project even without the "building raves," the two young women are coming up with creative and unconventional ideas for their social media channels. "We want to show: We’re not only building, but also spending a good and exciting time in the village," says Dasha. But given the biting cold, how many participants will ultimately sign up?