From Donetsk to Kyiv, couple slowly rebuilds life shattered by war with support from cash assistance program

“We believe this war will end and our hope is strong. We are thankful of all the support we received from different humanitarian organizations”, says Iryna, 31-year-old mother of three.

The youngest, Artem, was born three months after they fled their hometown in Donetsk Oblast, said to be Ukraine’s most populated eastern province.

Life was good and very promising for this hardworking couple. Husband Oleksandr was a market consultant while Iryna busied herself doing children’s stuffed toys where she had good orders from friends, and growing customers. They just built their dream house out of their savings working from the neighboring Czech Republic.

Then the war came. “At first, we did not believe it can happen. When the attacks and fighting became serious, we worried about the safety of our two older children Carolina and Lev. We stayed in the basement all the time, and I was heavy with my pregnancy”, recalls Iryna.

It was then that they heeded the local church’s call for families to leave the area for the sake of the children and the most vulnerable. Buses were organized, and with sadness in their hearts, Iryna and Oleksandr bid goodbye to everything they built.

“We left everything and knew we need to start over again”, she added as she looked at Oleksandr beside her. Both resolved to work hard again to recoup whatever they lost.

The assistance was very timely, it made our plan to prioritize water possible. Having our own at home will also ensure clean supply for the children.

The family decided to find a place in the village where Iryna’s parents and siblings in Kyiv. They found a house they gradually renovated. When they got registered for three months of cash assistance from World Vision, they chose to use it for materials and labor to drill for their own water supply.

“We first fetched water for our household needs from the well. It was difficult to do every day, especially during wintertime and the rainy season. The assistance was very timely, it made our plan to prioritize water possible. Having our own at home will also ensure clean supply for the children”, Oleksandr says.

The couple, who also bought a fridge out of the assistance, expressed profuse gratitude for the support of the humanitarian community.

Iryna shares, “We received clothes, food, even the children’s things. We also shared some to our neighbors. The kindness of people overwhelmed us. We are very thankful.”

As spring started, Oleksandr got busy with his kitchen gardens, planting the backyard with vegetables for the family’s food supply. He is also busy looking for a job while also helping with the water project. “It is tough to find work in this part, away from the city where most opportunities are”, he explains.

World Vision’s cash assistance program is supported by the Ukraine Response Consortium, ACTED Ukraine and funded by USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).

Story and photos by Cecil Laguardia, Communications Director