“I have lived many years, but it is still difficult for me to comprehend, how could this happen, and why?”
For Valentyna, 75, the ongoing war in Ukraine and its effect on millions of lives is something she has not seen in her lifetime. Having lost her mother just four days before the war began, she now lives alone in a village near Kyiv. Valentyna feared for her life and was forced to hide when the hostilities in the area intensified.
“A shell fell, just right here, where I had my garden and some trees,” she explained. “When a bomb fell here…the doors were knocked down. The explosive wave was enormous.”
Despite the war, Valentyna never left her village. She is unharmed, but the windows, roof, and walls of her house were damaged when her village was targeted with missile attacks and shelling.
With the support of donors, light and medium repairs of homes like Valentyna’s is one of UNHCR’s contributions to the collective response to the impact of the war on people’s lives and homes. This work is ongoing and we are racing with time as the winter does not wait.
Valentyna, 75, receives support from UNHCR to repair her home, which was damaged by the war in Ukraine. © UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko
More than eight months after the war began, winter is on its way and Valentyna is worried about the cold months ahead. © UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko
Surviving winter
As the war continues, Valentyna feels uncertainty and worries for the future, especially now that winter is approaching. She dreads the cold months ahead, remembering the weather at the beginning of the invasion.
“It was cold in March, I slept in a coat, in a warm hat,” she said. “At night it was -8 degrees Celsius. It was cold.”
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, housing conditions have become increasingly precarious. Families have been displaced by shelling, homes have been damaged or destroyed by violence, and loss of livelihoods have left households uncertain and unprepared for the long, cold winter ahead as temperatures can plummet below -20 degrees.
With millions displaced – and the war ongoing – the challenges are enormous. UNHCR is working with partners and the government to quickly address urgent needs. This support includes housing repairs, provision of winter supplies such as thermal blankets and sleeping bags, support to centres that help shelter displaced people, and targeted cash assistance.
The needs across Ukraine during this season are enormous, and people like Valentyna need urgent support to survive the harsh winter.
Please help keep families and children warm this season.
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