In March 2022, the hostilities reached Novovoznesenske village, Khersonska oblast and the village found itself under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation. Most of the locals managed to flee, quickly gathering some meagre belongings. Amongst those who stayed behind were retirees Nina and her husband Viktor.
“We have our little piece of land and animals. How could we abandon all this, and where would we go?” Nina explains as she walks through her home where she and her husband have spent most of their lives.
As the shelling intensified, access to electricity and water were cut and food deliveries were interrupted. Locals were left with no choice but to seek shelter underground sometimes for many hours at a time.
In the face of such enormous challenges, Nina and Viktor sprung to action to support their community, helping as best they could, sharing clothes, food and other essential items. And as the community was plunged into darkness without electricity, this solidarity provided some light to locals as they hoped for the best.
“When we are together, we are stronger. You can cope with anything if you are not alone. We didn’t have much, but we shared what we had and others did the same. This is how it works; this is how you survive,” Viktor says.
Another local villager, Artem, was living with his wife at his parents’ house. He was planning on renovating the house to make it more comfortable for both families. However, as the war intensified, Artem’s dreams quickly fell apart.
“I had a stable job, everything was ok. We were looking forward to the future, making plans,” Artem says, thinking back to life before the full-scale invasion. “My wife fled abroad, but my parents stayed. During one round of shelling, my mother was injured. She is still undergoing treatment in another city,” Artem continues.
When the village was retaken by the Ukrainian government in September 2022, locals could finally fully assess the damage to their property. Many houses in the village were completely destroyed. Nina, Viktor and Artem’s family homes had been damaged, so they turned to the local authorities for help. Through UNHCR’s shelter programme, they received construction materials, helping them repair their damaged homes, and ultimately stay in their community.
In May 2023, UNHCR Representative Karolina Lindholm Billing together with some of UNHCR’s most steadfast partners and donors – The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – met with Nina, Viktor and Artem to hear firsthand about their experiences and the challenges they have overcome against all odds, including thanks to the support provided by international partners.
“While UNHCR’s top priority in 2023 continues to be our response to urgent humanitarian needs, we are simultaneously focusing our protection and shelter programs on durable solutions, to help people recover and rebuild their homes and lives. The unearmarked funding that our Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish partners provide is indispensable in this regard, as it allows us to remain agile in our response and deliver assistance and services in the locations where people need it the most, now, like in Novovoznesenske”, says Karolina Lindholm Billing. “We have already reached over 1 million people this year with humanitarian assistance, and we will continue to work closely with local authorities, our NGO partners and civil society, under the leadership of the Government, to ensure that we reach those who need our support most.”
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