March 26, 2024
News
At the beginning of the war, many Ukrainians thought they were only leaving home for 2-3 weeks. But the war is now in its the third year now, and many people have nowhere to return to: their cities are destroyed, occupied by Russia, or constantly under fire. Therefore, people have to get used to life in a new reality, and we are trying to helping them to do so. Read the stories of displaced women living in dormitories in Transcarpathia that have been, renovated by Caritas Czech Republic.
Svitlana Gorokhova from Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region
Svitlana and her son have been living in a dormitory of Uzhhorod University in Zakarpattia region of Ukraine for 2 years now. They are originally from Kostiantynivka - a frontline city in Donetsk region, which has been under constant attack by the Russian army since the early days of the war. "One morning, two rockets landed near our yard. We realised we needed to flee. That same morning, I received a message from my employer that there would be an evacuation by buses. My son and I gathered our belongings in 20 minutes and left our home. We traveled for 2 days across Ukraine, not even understanding where we would end up," Svitlana recalls.
Finally, the family arrived in Uzhhorod and settled in a dormitory. Later, Svitlana's mother and sister, along with three children, also moved to the same dormitory. Another reason for staying in Uzhhorod was that Svitlana's brother underwent rehabilitation there after being wounded on the front, which allowed the family to visit him.
Svitlana is a very active and hardworking woman. She is a professional baker and right after arriving to Uzhhorod she started volunteering and cooking for displaced people. "I have been baking bread for 25 years, I love my profession, working with dough," says Svitlana. After Caritas Czech Republic renovated the dormitory Svitlana enjoys especially the new kitchen and ovens. She herself participated in the renovation process, working as part of the team within our Cash for work project. "It was a great experience, because you are both at home and at work at the same time. And you also improve your own living conditions," Svitlana says. Currently, she works in the same dormitory as a guard.
Tetiana Zasuha from Kramatorsk, Donetsk region
65-year-old Tetiana arrived in Mukachevo with her neighbour in March 2022. In Kramatorsk, the women lived in a multi-story building on the high floors, and with constant shelling, it became risky to stay there.
"When the shelling started, we were very scared. People around panicked and started leaving. And we were living on high floors. It was hard to run down and hide constantly, especially at night, so we would endure the shelling in the corridors. And at one point, we decided to leave," Tetiana recalls.
She and her neighbour evacuated from Kramatorsk to Mukachevo by train. There, the local authorities accommodated them in the secondary school dormitory. The students - future chefs - immediately surrounded the displaced people with care. Tetiana was really touched by this: "These students - they worked at cafes as interns and saved money to feed us. They cooked for us lunches, dinners. I can talk about it calmly now, but at the beginning, I always had tears in my eyes - how the children from Western Ukraine reached out to help us."
At first, none of the displaced people paid attention to the living conditions - the main thing was to have a peaceful sleep and a roof over their heads. But over time, the need for repairs became more and more evident. In 2023, Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine carried out renovations on one of the floors of the Mukachevo dormitory. We repaired rooms and corridors, kitchens, showers, and toilets, also replaced windows, provided new appliances, and furniture.
"After the renovation, everything improved – the walls were repainted, new windows were installed, everything works properly. Look at how they did the kitchen - new tiles, everything shines. What is also important, we now have towel dryers and ventilation in the showers. Plus, the rooms have brand new furniture. We cherish this renovation very much and everything Caritas Czech Republic provided us with. I would have never believed such things could happen," says Tetiana gratefully. Yet, she dreams most of all about returning home – to the house where she spent most of her life, where her children grew up.
Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has been facing severe attacks and casualties. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes in the areas of fighing and relocate to other regions of Ukraine or abroad. In the east of the country, some cities have been completely destroyed due to massive shelling.
Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine is assisting people affected by the war. We provide shelter to internally displaced persons in modular houses in Western Ukraine, improve living conditions in collective sites, and address the urgent needs of residents in frontline and de-occupied communities in Southern Ukraine.
During 2023, Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine conducted renovations in 8 dormitories in Zakarpattia where displaced people from the combat zone reside. This year, we will continue to improve living conditions for internally displaced persons and expand this project to 2 more regions in Western Ukraine - Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk. Currently, we are selecting collective centers for renovations and preparing necessary documentation.
