{"id":996,"date":"2022-09-09T07:02:44","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T07:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uhrcgeneva.org\/unhcr-ukrainian-village-torn-apart-by-war-begins-long-process-of-rebuilding\/"},"modified":"2022-09-09T07:02:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-09T07:02:44","slug":"unhcr-ukrainian-village-torn-apart-by-war-begins-long-process-of-rebuilding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uhrcgeneva.org\/unhcr-ukrainian-village-torn-apart-by-war-begins-long-process-of-rebuilding\/","title":{"rendered":"UNHCR\u00a0– Ukrainian village torn apart by war begins long process of rebuilding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is the new reality for the close-knit community of Nalyvaikivka. Its main street used to be a hive of activity, a place where locals shared what little they had, and neighbours chatted over garden fences. \u00a0<\/p>\n
But on 4 March, the village was awoken by the shrill sound of air raid sirens and shelling overhead. Frantically grabbing a few essentials such as winter coats and gloves, residents ran for their lives to shelter in nearby bunkers. \u00a0<\/p>\n
One local family, Yurii, Oksana and daughter Svitlana, fled to their cellar \u2013 a cold room used to store homemade jams and marinated vegetables. \u201cAs the door of the cellar was closing above our heads, I heard the sound of glass shattering,\u201d says Oksana. When the family emerged from the cellar, they found that their home had been hit. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Fearful for their safety, the family fled to a nearby town to stay with friends, only returning some weeks later. \u201cWe came back when the troops withdrew from the area and the shelling ended. The whole street was grey from the ashes of burnt buildings. Our yard was full of rubble, slate, window frames, glass. We spent many days trying to clean up, moving very carefully as we didn\u2019t know if there were any unexploded ammunition or other dangerous things in our yard.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeking safety further afield, their 24-year-old daughter Svitlana joined a friend in Slovakia, but returned a month later. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t stay there knowing that my mum and dad had to go through this hell.\u201d Her brother, 31-year-old Oleksandr who lives in Kyiv, is also playing his part, helping the family clear the rubble. The family\u2019s small dog, Bonita, sits and stares at the place where their home once stood. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\n“All my life is invested in this house.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Oksana, a 51-year-old nurse, spent years building her now destroyed house from scratch, with help from her brother, so her children Svitlana and Oleksandr, would have a safe and warm place to call home. \u201cWe never had much money to start and to finish the build in one go,\u201d she says. \u00a0<\/p>\n
When Yurii, a 60-year-old construction worker, came into her life four years ago, the pace of the build picked up considerably and together they completed their dream home. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was built with love and attention to every little detail,\u201d Oksana explains. \u201cThis house was like another child for us, we invested so much care and love into it. All my life is invested in this house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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