Carolina barely knows what a peaceful life looks like. Since the day she was born in 2018, she has been living with her mother in Orekhovo, a village of the Popasna district in Luhansk oblast. Before the conflict started, more than 700 people used to live there. Now, almost 300 left. Most of the one who stayed are elders. A paramedic station and a shop are the only services reminding them of civilization.
“We live on the outskirts of the village, in a hamlet of only five houses. From our garden you can see the positions of the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic“. Not far, there is a sign titled “mines”. If you go beyond the garden gate, you will not see the neighbours. We are separated by a field. – says Natalia, 26, mother of Carolina, 2. – One day 33 bombshells hit the garden. At first it was scary, but then we got used to it. We used to hide in the basement. Now there is a truce, but we still hear the sounds of gunshots sometimes. And when there are fires, mines explode.”
When the armed conflict began, Natalia was a second-year student of Luhansk College, majoring in finance. The young woman recalls that in 2014 all exams were canceled. Students were given their final grades and sent home. Natalia returned to her village and in September 2018 gave birth to Carolina. Her parents helped her raise the child.
“Here, in Orekhovo, I am afraid to leave Carolina alone even for a minute. There are many mine fields and wild animals around. Last summer Carolina almost stepped on a snake. There are too many dogs too. One attacked me from behind and bit my rubber boot as I went to give water to the calf. I had to defend myself with a bucket. Carolina is now interested in touching everything, she is constantly on the move, I have to follow her everywhere so that nothing happens to her.”
According to Natalia, another serious problem is calling an ambulance if her daughter becomes sick. There are only dirt roads in the village. After rain or snow one wouldn’t be able to drive through. There is no kindergarten in Orekhovo. The local school was closed because there weren’t enough students left to teach. Out of all of Carolina’s friends, only one boy named Nazar still lives there across the field.
“When we found out about the voluntary relocation project and that it was possible to move to a safer place, I was scared at first. How could I live without my parents? Then we realized that this was a great opportunity, because there are no prospects for Carolina in the village. – Natalia smiles. – When I started school in Orekhovo, we first were six or seven students in the class. When I graduated we were just five. I did not go to kindergarten. I want Carolina to have more opportunities than myself. My dream is for her to learn how to dance and sing. Now we are applying to a kindergarten, where she will be able to socialise with children, and then I will go to work.“
Thanks to the voluntary relocation project implemented in eastern Ukraine by the Proliska humanitarian mission funded by UNHCR, Natalia and Carolina were able to move from Orekhovo frontline village to Lysychansk, where in June 2020 they received a two-room apartment. In addition, with the support of UNHCR, they were able to purchase a crib with a mattress, a refrigerator and a washing machine.
“Many thanks to the Proliska team and UNHCR for the opportunity that changed our lives so much.“ – said Natalia.
UNHCR implements its “Voluntary Relocation” project with the generous support of donors, such as the United States’ Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), and the Governments of Sweden and Norway.
This article was edited thanks to the support of an online volunteer Sarah Vallée. Find volunteering opportunities at https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en
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