We continue to carry out minor repairs to war-affected homes. For some, we are just making the first measurements of damage and planning repairs; for others, we are actively restoring everything and preparing for the final cosmetic adjustments; and some are already enjoying new windows or doors. Volodymyr is among the latter: we replaced his windows back in the winter. He needed these windows more than anyone else, as he is 98 years old, uses a walker to get around, and hasn’t left his apartment in over three years.
“The first strike was back in February 2023 — a direct hit on our building section. I wasn’t home, and my dad had just come out of the kitchen, which saved his life. All he could see were thousands of multicolored pieces of glass flying in his direction.”
“It took us a long time to clean it up!” says Volodymyr’s daughter Viktoriya, who lives with him. “It was raining outside, and it was getting late, so I immediately found some workers who helped me board the windows with plywood. That’s how we spent the winter.”
Volodymyr has worked as an electric welder all his life. The travel agency where his daughter worked closed after the full-scale war broke out, so now they both get by on only their two pensions.
The second strike, in the apartment across the hall, smashed all their windows and destroyed their balcony. Now Volodymyr had to sit in a dark apartment with boarded-up windows. It was, therefore, crucial for us to help these Kherson residents. The CF SSS and CARE teams visited them to check the quality of the work and talked to Viktoriya.
“We are very grateful for your help, everything was done so well, we are so happy. Finally, after a year, our apartment has electricity!” the woman rejoices. “We just need a victory, and then we’ll do it all ourselves; we’ll repair the balcony. I am 70 years old, but I still have the energy to work!”.
The repairs are being carried out within the project Lifesaving Shelter, MPCA, SRH, and Protection Assistance for Conflict-Affected Communities in Rural Hromadas in Mykolaivska and Khersonska Oblasts implemented by the CO CF SSS and Kherson NGO “Successful Woman”, in collaboration with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with the support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.