Displaced Ukrainians in Zaporizhzhia face the New Year with trepidation: “It is never the same.”
Alina, a mother of two, left her hometown in Zaporizhzhia when the war started, leaving behind her husband who was not allowed to leave. Alone, struggling with rent, and raising two growing children nine-year-old Sophia and three-year-old Artem on her own, she is getting desperate how to keep their lives together.
Through partner Arms of Mercy (AoM) and funding from Giro555, an alliance of 11 aid organizations in the Netherlands, World Vision supports Alina, along with over 5,000 people displaced and impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine with food kits and 1,600 with multi-purpose cash assistance.
The mother of two shares her struggle of raising her two growing children alone.
AoM Project Coordinator Ruzlan Hazifov said at least 70 people come to the collective center daily to either register for or claim their assistance. “Many feel lost and desperate. Hence, the most important impact of this initiative in Zaporizhzhia is having a center where people can go for support, that they will feel that they are not alone”, he adds.
AoM has a large network of support-organizations all over the country, allowing them to reach the most difficult areas where access is difficult, and essential goods are limited. With a population of over 700,000 with over 170,000 people are displaced, the need is acute and growing, Hazifov has emphasized.
Located in another location of the city is a shelter where 40 displaced people live in cramped rooms, AoM provides monthly food assistance to its residents. According to the center’s administrator Iryna Vaselevska, the spaces are not ideal, but people have nowhere to go, and cannot afford the rent if they choose better living conditions.
Many feel lost and desperate. Hence, the most important impact of this initiative in Zaporizhzhia is having a center where people can go for support, that they will feel that they are not alone.
“It is a different Christmas and New Year celebration for us”, says 52-years old Tetiana. She sadly shared how she would cook many traditional dishes to welcome Christmas and the New Year. This time, she is alone in the center as her children fled to neighboring European countries when the war broke out. Few Christmas decorations are hanging in the rooms, a sad attempt to keep the spirit alive.
Project Manager Dmytro Skira said most of the Ukrainians try to lead normal lives in Zaporizhzhia despite the close distance from the occupied territories. “It’s just few minutes by car. But for various reasons, many Ukrainians prefer to stay”, Skira explains.
From Poltava in Polohiv District, 25-year-old mother Kateryna came to Zaporizhzhia in March 2022. She is singlehandedly raising her 3-year-old son Dmytro. They live in a rented apartment where Dmytro attend kindergarten class online as most schools for toddlers like him were closed due to the area’s proximity to the front line. In turn, Kateryna cannot find a job because he cannot leave him alone.
Apart from the rising needs, the displaced families have to bear the constant fear and anxiety over air alarms warning people of missile and drone attacks. The recent air attack, and one of the biggest launched so far, United Nations has reported to have killed 30 and injured more than 160 people.
World Vision’s humanitarian response has reached over 1.5 million people impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine, more than 996,000 of these are the displaced inside the country, at least 36 percent are children.
Story and photos by Cecil Laguardia, Communications Director (with interview support from Advocacy Advisor Vira Sholinian)