Olena, a 51-year-old mother of eight, who came to the city of Uzhhorod in April 2022 © UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko
The full-scale invasion has displaced nearly 6 million people inside Ukraine. Uzhhorod, situated in the west of Ukraine, on the border with Slovakia and Hungary, has welcomed those in search of safety, with many embarking on a new life, learning new skills and sharing their experiences with others. This is true for Olena, a 51-year-old mother of eight, who came to the city after her husband died during shelling in the eastern oblast, Donetsk, in April 2022.
Olena’s life before February 2022 was drastically different. She lived with her six children in a modern, spacious house, that she had built with her husband. Her two adult daughters were living separately. The large family took vacations abroad, and their children were involved in after-school activities. Life was good, even wonderful. But all that changed when their city was heavily shelled and then occupied, and the family lost everything, Olena’s husband, their home and their shared dreams for the future.
Olena with displaced women from across Ukraine, gathered together in Uzhhorod, takes part in a bakery workshop. © UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko
Olena cried every day for the first two weeks after she arrived in Uzhhorod. With the help of a psychologist who supported her at the temporary accommodation centre, she was able to start healing her broken heart and find moments of joy again. “I started doing what I love most in Uzhhorod – painting. I organize workshops for women on drawing and neurography art – a form of art that helps express our feelings. Through this, we are recalling our dreams. I remind the displaced women in my workshops that a dream is given to a person to bring it to life.”
Olena also attends cookery classes taught by local woman, Liubov Keretsman. “I had no cooking experience before, but at the workshops I was surprised by how many healthy dishes there are, and that they are made from simple ingredients that every kitchen has. I like cooking, meeting other women, making friends.”
Olena with her 6 adopted children at the culinary class in Uzhhorod © UK for UNHCR/Mark Macdonald
Somehow, life goes on, even during a war. The children attend online schooling. The girls have taken up their music classes again to learn to play the violin, the boys attend karate, and they also draw and learn English together.
For Olena, Uzhhorod has become an unexpected new home. What she wants most for her family is that her children continue their education and grow up away from the hardship of the war’s frontline Recalling her first days in Uzhhorod, Olena says: “I was impressed by the kindness and openness of the local people. They surrounded us with warmth and care, helping us with all our questions, including finding housing and work. They helped us move on from the terrible suffering and trauma we left behind in Donetsk and to start afresh.”
While continuing to provide emergency assistance to those living close to the frontline, UNHCR will prioritize interventions that support durable solutions using community-based protection as the starting point. Building on localization efforts, UNHCR will continue working with local partners and communities, to support their capacity, engagement and response.
Thanks to the long-standing and generous support of UNHCR’s biggest donor the United States, UNHCR is able to provide emergency assistance to families like Olena’s as well as those living close to the frontline. Simultaneously, UNHCR is prioritizing interventions that support durable solutions using community-based protection as the starting point. Building on localization efforts, UNHCR will continue working with local partners and communities, to support their capacity, engagement and response.
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