From Mariupol to Zaporijia: the journey of three war-displaced women

Svitlana, Zhaneta and Kateryna are supported by our partner “I am Mariupol” and by Action Against Hunger (ACF). They are among the 10 million Ukrainians who have had to leave their homes as a result of the conflict and, like 40% of the Ukrainian population, they depend on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs. From the siege of Mariupol to their move to Zaporijia, they bear witness to a conflict that does not spare civilians.

Located on the shores of the Sea of Azov in the Donetsk region, Mariupol was a dynamic industrial city with a population of 450,000. In the years leading up to the start of the international conflict, the city had flourished, new parks had been built and the town center had been modernized. As they recall their memories of the city, Mariupolitans’ faces light up, and then their hearts tighten.

A strategic challenge for Russian forces, Mariupol has become Ukraine’s martyred city. The human toll of the offensive has been particularly heavy, with tens of thousands reportedly dead, some of whom are still buried under the rubble. For several weeks, its inhabitants remained trapped, deprived of food, water and basic services. At the end of a siege that lasted almost three months, 90% of Mariupol had been destroyed, and the inhabitants who did not die were forced to flee.

Svitlana, Zhaneta and Kateryna are all originally from Mariupol. They led a peaceful life there before the war shook their lives and swept away their certainties. In Zaporijia, over 200 kilometers from their hometown, they are trying to rebuild their lives despite the constant air raids and their precarious economic situation.

Svitlana was born in Mariupol and has lived there all her life. The day war broke out, she took refuge with food and blankets in the basement of the building where her eldest son lived, alongside her daughter-in-law, grandson and youngest son.

Living conditions in the basement of the building, shared with a family with six children, were particularly difficult. “There were small windows for ventilation, through which you could hear the hum of military operations. It was very frightening. There were no toilets, so I took responsibility for clearing the garbage. I used to run outside with buckets between explosions,” Svitlana recalls. 

The family had got into the habit of cooking outside over a fire. But it was very dangerous, as there was a sniper in the apartment next door. “One day, my youngest son came back all pale,” she recounts. “He leaned over the fire and a bullet flew over his head. »

On their first attempt to flee Mariupol, on March 5, 2022, the family spotted a broken-down ambulance in the middle of the street and people lying lifeless on the concrete. Their car’s tires were punctured, so they had to reverse.  

10 days later, on another attempt, they traveled in a convoy of 15 cars. “We agreed that if anything happened to anyone, everyone had to stop,” Svitlana recounts. “A neighbor’s car broke down, and we immediately distributed his belongings among the other cars. When we arrived in Zaporijia, I was shaking with nervousness. »

Svitlana is now accommodated free of charge in a dormitory in Zaporijia and works in the laundry of the “I am Mariupol” center, which supports displaced persons from Mariupol. Action Against Hunger provides her and her family with financial assistance to cover their basic needs.

Svitlana is suffering greatly from the loss of her eldest son. “I want so much to hug him, but it’s impossible. I’ll never forgive those who killed him,” she says. Her granddaughters and friends have become the main source of joy in her life. Despite the war, Svitlana is very attached to her country and has no intention of leaving it. “Travelling is my dream. But I’ll only live here, in Ukraine. »

When the war broke out, Zhaneta was living with her husband in Mariupol. They were convinced that everything would soon return to normal. 

From the 9th floor of their apartment building, it was difficult for them to go down to the basement for protection during the bombings. So they stayed in their apartment and prayed. The air strikes gradually moved closer to their homes. First, a local school was hit, then a five-storey building next door. On March 14, 2022, it was finally their building that caught fire. For hours, Zhaneta and her husband sat by the mailboxes while neighbors doused the fire with buckets of water.  

Deprived of electricity and heating, Zhaneta and her husband had to cover themselves with several layers of winter clothing and sleep under three blankets. They were only able to eat thanks to pre-prepared provisions.  

“Someday, while the gas was still on, I put some food in a pan and an explosion occurred,” Zhaneta recalls. “The glass from the windows flew over my head and fell into the pan. Luckily, I bent over and the shards of glass didn’t touch me. I had to throw away the food and cover the windows with a blanket. With the broken windows, it was even colder in the house”.

Over the weeks of the siege, food became a luxury in Mariupol. One day, Zhaneta recounts how her son brought in 2 kilos of frozen mandarins. “I wanted them so badly that I ate them frozen,” she recalls. “As a result, I got sick with a high fever. »

She and her family had to adapt to the lack of everything. When the gas stopped working, Zhaneta made a torch from dry alcohol tablets. She took extra precautions to prevent the military from seeing the light and firing into the apartment. Her son gathered snow in a basin to collect water.

To better manage her anxiety, Zhaneta kept a diary. “It was a kind of chronology of the war,” she explains. “When my phone battery ran out, I kept a calendar and crossed out each day, just like in prison, so as not to lose track of time. When I left Mariupol, I wrote that I would never return”. 

At the end of March 2022, Zhaneta and her husband left Mariupol for Zaporijia to join their granddaughter. Shortly after their arrival, Zhaneta’s husband was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly afterwards. It was then that Zhaneta started attending the “I am Mariupol” center, where she made friends, consulted psychologists and benefited from free medical services. As her retirement pension only covers the cost of food and other consumer goods, the financial support provided by Action Against Hunger has enabled her to cover her hygiene needs.

In Zaporijia, Zhaneta still doesn’t feel totally safe: a rocket warhead fell near her new home, buried itself in the ground and didn’t explode. « The first few days in Zaporijia, I cried non-stop. I am anxious, but I tell myself that if something saved me in Mariupol, it will save me here too. I’ll live for my granddaughter, » she comments. 

Kateryna worked as director of musical studies at a kindergarten. She has no news of her home, but hopes to be able to return to Mariupol.

“There have been a lot of air strikes. The kindergarten was set on fire. The music room was destroyed. It’s a good thing I have lots of photos of the good times we had at the kindergarten, so they’ll always be in my memory,” explains Kateryna.

In May 2022, a friend suggested that Kateryna and her mother leave the city. She regrets not having been able to take her pets with her. “We packed our whole lives into two bags and left,” Kateryna recalls. “I don’t know what happened to my house. I can only pray. I know that hungry animals gather in large herds over there. Maybe my dog is part of that herd. »

Today, Kateryna and her mother live in Zaporijia. Kateryna has found work as a teacher.  “I’ve always been devoted to children. It’s my vocation,” she explains.

Kateryna’s mother’s health has deteriorated badly after what they have been through, and they lack the money to meet their basic needs. Action Against Hunger provides them with financial assistance of around 10,800 hryvnias (around 237 euros) each for three months, enabling them to make ends meet.

“This winter will be very difficult because heating prices have gone up,” explains Kateryna. “With the financial aid I’ve received, I’ll be able to pay the bills. I hope I’ll be able to go home one day and that I’ll have a good time when I get back,” she confides.

About Action Against Hunger in Ukraine

Since March 2022, Action Against Hunger has been implementing food security and livelihood activities for displaced people with two main modalities: the distribution of hot meals and financial assistance.

Action Against Hunger is also active in the health sector, supporting primary healthcare centers and implementing psychological and psychosocial support programs.

The last area of intervention is water, hygiene and sanitation, through our support for the Ukrainian water management company Vodokanal, the rehabilitation of collective accommodation centers and the distribution of hygiene kits.

From the outset of the conflict, all our intervention programs have been based on increased cooperation with Ukrainian organizations. 

Photo copyright : © Hanna Pieshkova pour le Consortium Dorijka