What is it like for women in Ukraine to raise their children in the centers for the displaced?

Dnipro, Ukraine – In the dimly lit kitchenette area, a cramped, communal space, Svitlana operates quickly the newly acquired washing machine, one of the many shared amenities in the collective shelter.

A pungent smell that combines the scents of vegetable soup, dampness, and detergent fills the few square meters. Next to Svitlana, Viktoryia, who lives in the adjoining room in the two-story building, is tossing a handful of parsley and pepper into the boiling soup.

In the past two years, they have learned to share a space with fifty other people. Large families, children, and the elderly cluster together in small groups.

Rows of beds stretch across the three large and small rooms available in the collective shelter, separated by flimsy partitions made of blankets and sheets hung for privacy.

The walls are adorned with children’s drawings, faded photographs brought from home and peeling paint. Right on the left side of the kitchen area, a blue painted bathroom lies ahead with two showers and two lavatories.

Everyone goes about their usual routine in this unusual setting, a stark contrast to those who once had a place to call their own, when a distant rumble breaks the air. A sharp, ear-splitting explosion shatters the relative calm, followed by an overwhelming shockwave that rattles the entire structure.

Svitlana instinctively drops the dark red laundry basin and races up the stairs, two at a time, to the second floor, where she left Varvara, her 10-month-old baby daughter. As she enters the confined room, her breathing becomes heavy and adrenaline rushes through her entire body.

Inside, she finds her roommate clutching Varvara tightly in her arms, her baby startled. She runs towards her daughter fanatically, closing her eyes in gratitude and prayer.

“She is only 10 months old, yet all she knows is war and displacement,” says Svitlana, 43, with an intense, menacing glare in her light blue eyes.

She hails from Snihurivka, a city in Mykolaiv Oblast, southern Ukraine, leaving behind her two daughters and three granddaughters.

“I lost nearly everything to war,” shares Svitlana. “My house is reduced to nothing more than debris,” she adds on.

Just a year before the war started, Svitlana faced the tragic loss of her husband. When her house was completely destroyed, she sought refuge in western Ukraine, settling in Lviv. She secured a job at a small bakery in the city center, and less than six months after relocation she found out she was pregnant.

Meanwhile, Varvara’s father serves on the frontline. In January 2024, Svitlana moved to this collective shelter in Dnipro. Currently unable to work, she struggles to afford rent and meet her basic needs.

“We arrived here with nothing,” she says. “But I’m beyond grateful to have a roof over our heads. Even though I don’t know for how long they will allow us to stay here. The fear of uncertainty is there every day.”

Svitlana is among the 3,7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in the country. Rent has become a luxury for the majority of the displaced, and collective housing capacity is limited.

According to recent studies, there are significant shelter needs and concerns at collective sites throughout Ukraine, with many lacking adequate ventilation, backup power sources, and alternative heating supplies. Only in August 2023, 255 sites in the Dnipropetrovsk region reported constant electricity interruptions.

IDPs are also concerned about being evicted from their present settlements, particularly in cities such as Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, and Dnipro. “What if I am forced to leave tomorrow? I have no back-up plans. I have no resources,” shares Svitlana.

As the percentage of internally displaced people continues to rise, our top focus remains on addressing these families’ basic needs. The ADH-funded project has been critical to our work, allowing us to supply dozens of collective centers with essential supplies, including alternative heating sources.

World Vision and its local partners have distributed 260 kits to collective centers across the country, primarily in the eastern regions. Each kit includes twenty beds with mattresses, blankets, bedding sheets, pillows with pillowcases, 40 towels, twenty rechargeable lamps, one charging station, one washing machine, one generator, and four adapters.

Through the Aktion Deutschland Hilf-funded project, more than 54,000 people have been reached with both food and non-food items in the Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lviv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.

“As the percentage of internally displaced people continues to rise, our top focus remains on addressing these families’ basic needs. The ADH-funded project has been critical to our work, allowing us to supply dozens of collective centers with essential supplies, including alternative heating sources,” explains Dmytro Skira, World Vision’s project manager.

Through this initiative, World Vision and its partners have distributed over 26,000 food kits, 10,000 family hygiene kits, 220 institutional hygiene kits, 20 institutional shelter kits, 23 sets of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).

“In addition, 60,000 liters of water, 2,500 winterization kits, 1,250 gas portable stoves with six canisters each, 1,250 electric heaters, and 20 kits of solid fuel were distributed. These efforts were critical to delivering immediate aid and ensuring the welfare of those most affected by the war,” adds Skira.

“Every item World Vision has provided, from toothbrushes and nutritious food to shower gel, is truly valuable to us here. These apparently basic things allow us to keep our dignity,” says Svitlana.

“The support has truly transformed this collective center into a place where we can start rebuilding our lives. At this point, I can only rely on humanitarian aid. I cannot imagine how my family would live if we lost access to it one day,” she concludes.

Story and photos by Laurentia Jora, UCR Communications Manager