Ukraine: "Who will know that they need help?"

Yurivka is a small Ukrainian village¹, surrounded by wheat fields, in the Dnipro region in the East of Ukraine. Since February 2022, when the war between Ukraine and Russia escalated, hundreds of families fleeing the fighting in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions have arrived here.

From an emergency shelter to a community living space

The local population quickly got organized to lend a helping hand to these new arrivals who had lost everything. In just a few days, the village’s children's library was transformed into a shelter for displaced persons.

As Ukraine enters its third year following the beginning of the large-scale invasion, with fighting still raging in the region, many people experiencing displacement have finally decided to stay and live in Yurivka, in an attempt to build a new life. According to HI's protection teams, 567 displaced people are currently living in the village.

The role of the reception center has gradually changed. It has gone from being an emergency shelter to a community space where the local community can come together. A place where people can live together and help one another, where local residents have even set up a small shop selling second-hand clothes at reduced prices for anyone who needs them.

Inna is a regular visitor to the children's library. It's the kind of place she knew well from her "old life". When she was still living in Bakhmut, Inna was a teacher for children with disabilities. She worked with children with visual disabilities, regularly taking them to the library, and was also a member of a folk singing group. Since moving here with her husband, mother, and three-year-old daughter, she has found the center to be a kind of refuge, the perfect place to relax and take her mind off things.

"The bomb fell 500 feet from us"

Inna arrived in Yurivka in August 2022, after fleeing the massive bombardment of her neighborhood:

"I remember we were walking home from my father's house. Luckily, we managed to hide under a fence, but the bomb fell about 500 feet from us. The blast took everything in its path."

Inna was identified by HI protection teams last June, in the same community location. The aim of these protection experts is to assess the individual needs of persons affected by the war, such as victims of bombings or explosive ordnance contamination, like Inna. They can then be referred to the appropriate HI staff (rehabilitation, psychosocial support teams, etc.) or other international or local humanitarian organizations.

"If we don't identify people and meticulously assess their needs, no one will know that they need assistance", explains Olesia, an HI social worker specializing in victim assistance.

Accommodation and school supplies

Alyona, a 36-year-old Ukrainian woman, was forced to evacuate with her son and husband. During her interview with HI’s team, Alyona told us that her priority was to find decent, stable accommodation and to be able to buy school supplies for her child. Although almost three years after they departed from Luhansk, she is still living in a cramped dorm with other displaced people, her priority is to get her child back to school. He will be staying with them for the new school year. Notebooks, pens, a schoolbag, little symbols of everyday life... like a return to an almost normal life.