Starting again from scratch after the occupation

Before the war, Oksana lived in her hometown with her husband and two daughters. She worked as a facilitator for a charity and ran her own grocery shop. Her husband was a police officer. The family lived happily together until February 2022, when everything changed.

“When the full-scale war started, we were in shock. We didn’t think it would be so awful. Some sort of conflict had been ongoing since 2014, but somehow, we had got used to it and kept going,” says Oksana.

“But in 2022, it was completely different. There were constant explosions and deaths. The first few days, we lived in the basement. A few days later, we moved to a bomb shelter. When there was no shelling, we went outside to take a breath of fresh air. At first, we did not plan to leave; we wanted to wait until the shelling stopped. We thought they would shoot a little, as usual, and that would be it… But a week later we realised we had to leave. Unfortunately, by that point, we’d run out of time.”

Oksana and her family had wanted to flee because they feared for her husband’s life, given that he worked for the police service of Ukraine. However, they were unable to leave before the Russian forces arrived. Thus, the family found themselves under occupation.

“They forced all the men out of their houses, saying they needed to check their documents. They came to our house in the morning and took me and my husband. Those who were not in the police or the army were not taken away. They checked their documents on the spot and let them go,” says Oksana.

This is how she and her husband were taken prisoner. Oksana was locked away for three days and then released. After that, she got her husband’s body – executed and bearing the marks of torture.

While she and her husband were in custody, their children stayed at their neighbours’ house. Once Oksana was released, however, she and the girls decided to leave the occupied territory.

“We left under heavy shelling; some people were not allowed to depart, but we managed to get out on foot. We chose streets without checkpoints,” Oksana recalls.

Oksana’s friend met her and her daughters at the demarcation line. He took them to the town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast, after which they took a train to Dnipro. Oksana and her children were placed in a refugee centre located in a school building. However, because of the constant explosions in the city and the challenging conditions (she shared a room with eight other people), Oksana decided to move to Lviv. From there, she went to Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, where she finally decided to settle down.

“Because of what happened, I felt bitter about everything. I asked myself: why did they do this to us? Why couldn’t they leave us alone? I was angry and desperate,” she shares.

Life in a new place

In Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Oksana met Anastasia Moskovka, a social worker with Right to Protection (R2P), a partner organisation of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Anastasia explains: “It was hard for Oksana to adapt to her new situation. She didn’t have much money, so she struggled to find affordable housing. At the time, all the refugee centres in the region were either overcrowded or closed due to non-compliance standards.”

After assessing Oksana’s situation, Anastasia decided to take her case, providing comprehensive assistance and support.

“The most acute problem for Oksana and her children at the time was finding a place to live. They needed their own rented flat to live a safe and normal life. So, I filled out an application form and referred her to R2P’s Cash for Protection programme. Thanks to that, the family was able to find accommodation and pay six months of rent in advance,” explains the social worker.

In addition, Oksana was interested in registering as an internally displaced person (IDP) and receiving social benefits. Anastasia was able to give Oksana all the information she needed to obtain an IDP certificate and know what payments she was entitled to. She also advised Oksana on various legal issues, provided her with representation before the social security authorities and helped her to submit all the necessary documents.

Due to these efforts, Oksana’s two daughters were registered as children affected by military hostilities and armed conflict, meaning they will now receive monthly payments of 3,000 hryvnia (equivalent to 74 US dollars) and be entitled to free education at vocational and higher education institutions as well as free meals. 

In addition, Anastasia was able to connect Oksana with various partner organisations to help her meet the family’s basic needs. Thanks to this, she and her daughters were able to access food, hygiene kits, kitchen utensils, bedding and winter clothes.

Now, their life is getting better. Oksana has enrolled her younger daughter in nursery school and her older daughter in college. She is living in a rented house, looking for a job and taking care of her family.

“Thanks to the programme, we have stabilised the family’s situation, lessened the financial burden, reduced psychological pressure and improved Oksana’s sense of wellbeing,” says Anastasia.

The Cash for Protection programme is provided by R2P and funded by EU Humanitarian Aid with NRC.

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