Valeria
Valeria, 23, is from Kherson in southern Ukraine. She fled her homeland last year after the conflict in the east of the country escalated to a full-blown war.
Kherson was one of the earliest Ukrainian cities to be occupied by Russian forces after 24 February. Fierce fighting continued, with Ukraine recapturing the city on 11 November of the same year. Most recently, Kherson has been affected by the Novo Kakhovka dam breach.
“I left Kherson. I had to survive the occupation and get away from there,” says Valeria.
Valeria fled the country and entered neighbouring Poland where she became a refugee. “Here I found shelter. Here I feel safe,” she says.
She is now working at Ukrainian House in the country’s capital, Warsaw. Ukrainian House is a support centre where refugees can receive information and help in finding accommodation, among other things. The centre is supported by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
“I feel like I can spend this time well, while I wait for Ukraine to be safe. I can do something good for the country and for Ukrainians.”
We interviewed Valeria at Ukrainian House, where she admits that she wasn’t familiar with World Refugee Day. “To be honest, I’m sure I’ve heard something about it. But I had to check when we celebrate that day.
“It is an important day, I believe. First of all, it is worth saying, because maybe not everyone knows, that a refugee is a person who had to leave their homeland due to armed conflict or persecution. This person is seeking safety in a safe place. So, [World Refugee Day] is an important day and it seems to me, in my humble opinion, that this day pays tribute to these people. It helps them to be noticed so that they are visible in this world.”
How do you think that people around the world should mark World Refugee Day?
“Well, it would be great if, of course, people would help on this day, that they would make it kind of a habit to do something good for people. And then, they would kind of understand, I guess, that once you start helping, it’s hard to just stop doing it suddenly.
“If you don’t know how you can help then, for example, help organisations that provide support for people who are refugees, which will be the equivalent to doing something good for refugees.
“I also want to say that it is absolutely necessary to deepen one’s knowledge on this subject. This is incredibly important. Of course, it is valuable for people to help, but also to focus on the issue through social media campaigns where people can share their experiences and thus draw attention to the subject.”
Learn more about the global refugee situation through the statistics
What message would you like the world to hear from you on World Refugee Day?
“I would like to convey that there is no need to be hostile to [refugees]. Nowadays, the most important value for all of us is life. And at any cost, for any money, we must save lives, because that is the only thing that has the greatest value.
“I have experienced exactly that. When I was in the occupation in Kherson, suddenly nothing mattered any more. Only life is important. In fact, at one point I was sitting like this and I could hear explosions, and I thought to myself ‘but I am breathing’. And the fact that I am breathing is your most important value as a human being. Because as long as you are breathing you can make a difference in this world. You can do something. You can help others in some way, or you can change other people’s minds and that is why we are here today."
Valeria is a courageous advocate for refugees. Will you be one too?
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