Photo: UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko
When Denys joined UNHCR’s local NGO partner Charitable Foundation “Right to Protection” at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the situation was already tense. The Russian invasion had led to the displacement of millions of Ukrainians inside the country. Thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed. Denys himself became an internally displaced person (IDP); he was forced to flee his home in Mariupol in March at the height of attacks on the city.
Now based in Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine, Denys works as a Protection Officer with Right to Protection supporting other displaced and war-affected communities.
“We call different organizations and cooperate in order to help people get all support they need: starting from cash assistance and ending with food items, legal aid and psychosocial support” explains Denys, outlining his daily work.
Nowadays, many people still arrive to Dnipro as the city has effectively become a key transit hub for people evacuating from the hardest hit eastern regions. Many arrive traumatised, fearful and exhausted, with little or no belongings . Fortunately, Denys and his team are on the ground to support the basic needs of those forced to flee their homes: hygiene kits, clothes, medicine and cash assistance to pay for rent or other essentials.
“Although we offer a vast variety of services, people need cash more often, because they usually arrive here and they need to rent an apartment, which is pretty expensive” said Denys “I understand them, because as an IDP I know how difficult it would have been for me if I had been alone in another city. We help people as best we can to meet their needs.. This is what protection support is for me”.
Photo: UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko
Before the war, Denys had a very different profession back at his home city of Mariupol. A lawyer by training, he ran his own social media marketing agency. He decided to join the Right to Protection team following the full-scale invasion, to help other IDPs arriving to Dnipro. “Of course, it is not always easy. People are traumatised by the war and listening to their experiences can be draining. But the experience is worthwhile, and important, it’s a meaningful job.
After one year of full-scale war, Denys has one thing on his mind: an end to the war and prosperity for Ukraine.
“We have an enormous potential. I hope that we will remain consolidated when this war end. And I hope this war will end very soon.”
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