With Winter Looming, Families in Ukraine Find Support From UNICEF

Katya's youngest son, 5-year-old Andriy, often asks her: "Mom, when will we go home?" Each time, she hesitates to answer. Should she spare her son’s feelings or tell him the truth, since they no longer have a home due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Katya, a 36-year-old mother of two, thinks about her hometown of Vovchansk with pain in her heart.

"I've seen drone footage of our town online," she says. "There's nothing left, just grey smudges where houses once stood.”

I've seen drone footage of our town online. There's nothing left, just grey smudges where houses once stood. — Katya, mother of two, eastern Ukraine

Once an industrial town in the Kharkivska region, Vovchansk now lies in ruins after six months of fierce fighting. According to local authorities, six out of ten buildings have been completely destroyed, with the rest badly damaged. Katya, her husband, mother, grandmother and two children fled last autumn during a brief lull between heavy air strikes, leaving everything behind.

Now they are trying to adapt to their new surroundings and prepare for a difficult winter.

Living with the constant sound of explosions in the distance

The family lives in a rented house in the village of Khotimlya in the Kharkiv region. Never far away, just on the horizon, are the constant sound of explosions.

Maybe one day it will hit me and I'll understand what we went through, but for now, no. — Halyna, 14

"I don't even react to these sounds anymore. We've got used to them. Maybe one day it will hit me and I'll understand what we went through, but for now, no," says 14-year-old Halyna.

During heavy fighting, the family spent a week living in the basement

After living through the fighting in Vovchansk, the family feels much safer here.

"When the heavy fighting for Vovchansk began, we lived in the basement for a week,” recalls Katya. “We stayed there all the time, literally.”

They only left the shelter to fetch water. The local kindergarten, where Katya worked as a cook, was destroyed, as was the school. 

"I remember when we finally came out of the basement, I looked at the children. They looked like little owlets, with big, dark circles around their eyes,” says Katya, 36.

I remember when we finally came out of the basement, I looked at the children. They looked like little owlets, with big, dark circles around their eyes. — Katya

As the fighting raged, the family had no time to pack. The evacuation was frantic and urgent, so they took only the essentials: official documents, warm clothes and devices so the children could continue their education online.

Frequent attacks on energy infrastructure 

At first, they fled to a small village in the Bohodukhiv district, where they had spent the previous winter. Although it was quieter, the effects of the war were felt every day. Mobile phone and internet coverage was almost nonexistent, and electricity was frequently cut off due to attacks on the energy infrastructure.

To download her school assignments and hand in her homework, Halyna had to walk almost two miles to a field outside the village where there was mobile coverage.

"It was snowing and I wanted to send my biology homework. I'd stand there for as long as I could, holding my phone, but when my fingers got too cold, I'd go back home. Almost every day was like that.” 

Finally, this spring, the family moved to Khotimlya, where they rented a small house. The previous owners had used it as a summer house, so it has only two rooms. But despite the cramped conditions, Katya and her family are grateful for the shelter.

Preparing for another long winter ahead, with help from UNICEF and partners

Having endured two difficult winters during the full-scale war, the family has started preparing for the coming cold.

"We are lucky to be somewhat self-sufficient here,” says Katya. “Everything runs using the boiler — heating and hot water. Thanks to UNICEF, we've received heating briquettes to fuel the boiler. They should get us through the winter.”

Thanks to UNICEF, we've received heating briquettes to fuel the boiler. They should get us through the winter. — Katya

After applying, Katya is also due to receive financial support from UNICEF. She plans to spend the money on warm winter clothes for her children.

"I try to tell myself that something good has to come out of something bad," Katya says. "We're alive, we're healthy, we're not hungry and that's something. As long as we have a roof over our heads, I try to stay positive. My mood affects my children and I want them to feel calm." 

Working with local authorities and partners, UNICEF is providing financial assistance, solid fuel and warm clothes to the most vulnerable families across Ukraine.

As part of UNICEF’s winterization support program to help vulnerable families prepare for winter, almost 4,200 families in the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions have already received solid fuel.

UNICEF is grateful to the The German Federal Foreign Office/Auswärtiges Amt for supporting the winter response.

Wherever and whenever children are in need, UNICEF is there to help. Your contribution will make a difference. Please donate today.

Please Donate

Learn more about UNICEF's ongoing humanitarian work in Ukraine.

This story first appeared on unicef.org