“Stay strong, stay together and help eachother”
In Blahodatne, war quickly became reality once Russian forces rolled in from Kherson on their way to occupy Southern Ukraine. With them came all the terrible side effects of war: killing, damage and destruction from the air and from the ground. Olga was there to witness her home being shelled, and thanks to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund and its partner Hungarian Interchurch Aid, she witnessed the renovation, too. The project facilitated repairs of 230 residential homes scarred by war in the Kherson oblast of Ukraine.
„Our village was very beautiful before war, we had everything – only thing that we didn’t have is gas. But overall, we had everything, internet, water, electricity. We lived very well even if the village is very small. When the war started, many people left their homes – but after the occupation ended, most of them came back. Home is home.“ – says Olga.
Her story is similar enough to many residents of the region liberated from occupation during November 2022. Which is exactly why she needed the help of Hungarian Interhchurch Aid. “My house was damaged by shelling. There was strong hit between the two buildings in my yard. Both the summer kitchen and the house were damaged by the shrapnel, cold and wet entered through the little holes and the windows, everything had to be repaired from heating to the windows” – she explains. “Now I am just finishing the inner repairs; the community even helps me with it.”
The war has taken its toll on Olga, especially the early days have been difficult for her and her family. “During the first days of war I was here, and my grandchildren from Kherson also came here because they thought that here it will be quieter. That turned out to be a bad plan, the frontlines were really close. We were sitting in the basement, me and the children. It was emotionally hard for them, even if they are teenagers, it affected them strongly. On the 17th of March we left finally. I did not want to leave, but for my grandchildren’s sake, for their safety I did not have a choice. I returned only after the occupation ended.”
Things have taken a turn for the better for the whole community – the renovations played a key part in that. “Thank god, now I am prepared for the winter. This is my home, I want to live here, and I’m really happy that I can now. I have windows, I have firewood, good people are around, everything’s good. I am very grateful for your help, and wish everyone to stay strong, stay together and help each other.”
