“Today, we visited a man who can’t walk and lives in darkness with boarded-up windows; yesterday, we met a family that, in their home burned down to the walls, has sheltered all the cats and dogs left behind by neighbors; a cat saved a woman from a missile by making her leave the room,” our colleagues working in Kherson often share such stories.
We communicate a lot with the people of Kherson, for whom we perform minor repairs of homes damaged by the war. First, we visit them to take measurements and sign a contract, and then we repair windows, doors, or roofs. During our first meetings, they often share their stories, experiences, and hopes with us. These conversations are very valuable and special to us. Some remain in our hearts for a long time.
“Mrs. Vera, 82 years old, left a strong impression on me; a missile hit her apartment. After being wounded by shrapnel, she spent a lot of time in the hospital, unable to remember what happened to her, and did not speak at all for two months. During our first meeting, she hardly spoke, but later she began to talk to us little by little,” shares project engineer Liliya Kontseva. “Vera, like a child, was learning to speak again, and we together rejoiced at her recovery.”
It is often women who talk to us. Mostly, they start with the words: “We did not leave and were in Kherson throughout the occupation!” They tell stories—their own and those of their neighbors and relatives. By listening to them, we show respect because disrespect is the worst thing one can do for these people who have endured so much.
“We can do any kind of work: take measurements, collect documents, but the most valuable thing we can give is the opportunity to feel that people care about the residents of Kherson, that there are people who came there for them, not to their damaged house, not to the broken windows, destroyed roofs, and doors, but for them,” explains project coordinator Anna Vasylenko. “With this project, we are fulfilling a much deeper mission than just restoration. We make it clear that people have a chance for the future, that they are not alone in this world, that there are people who care… Because we care.”
Despite all that the people of Kherson have experienced and lost, they are very open and honest, always ready to share what they have and offer help and support.
The repairs are carried out within the framework of the Lifesaving Shelter, MPCA, SRH, and Protection Assistance for Conflict-Affected Communities in Rural Hromadas in Mykolaivska and Khersonska Oblasts project, implemented by the CO CF SSS and the NGO Successful Woman Kherson Oblast Center in cooperation with the international humanitarian organization CARE with the support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.
