Testimonies: in Ukraine, war at home

More than 2.5 million families in Ukraine have lost their homes, destroyed or damaged by war, since 2022¹. Through this series of testimonials, we give a voice to those who are confronting war in their own homes. 

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams are leading a program to repair destroyed homes in Ukraine, with support from the European Union. They are working in collective centers and individual homes affected by missiles, to restore a bit of warmth, security, and dignity to those affected by the conflict. 

Windows plugged with cotton 

Oleg and Tamara* lived in a village in southeastern Ukraine before war knocked on their doorstep. A rocket reduced their house to rubble, and destroyed their garage and car. Under the bombs, they had to release their animals and escape. “I couldn’t move, I was paralyzed with fear. After that, I started stuttering. I stuttered for a whole year”, remembers Tamara, who is now partially deaf. 

Then, they moved to a collective center, but in the winter, the cold air blew in through the broken windows. “We plugged the holes with cotton”, explains Oleg. The intervention of SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams made their daily life easier: now that the windows have been repaired, the couple will be able to keep the room warm during the winter. 

“A piece of shrapnel burned my nightgown”

In the Kherson region, Lilia will never forget the night her house was hit by an air strike: “One night, while rushing to the cellar during shelling, a piece of shrapnel burned my nightgown”. Then came the occupation, the confiscation of her possessions, and evacuation under fire. 

When the village was liberated, she found her house in ruins. The roof was riddled with bullet holes, the windows blasted out and the doors shattered. But at the village council, she was informed about the roof repair program. When SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams started to work on the project, it was a huge relief. “It brought us a sense of security and stability that we had missed for so long” she confides. Today, there is no longer any reason to fear infiltrating or cold penetrating the walls. 

* Names have been changed

Source:
¹ Ukraine – Fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4) 

Header photo: © SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL