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For children like Olena, memories of the brutal war in Ukraine are never far away
Olena with her toys at a Caritas shelter in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Ukraine/Trócaire
In a shelter in Ukraine, Olena* closes her eyes in her mother Anna’s arms as she sings her softly to sleep.
Anna doesn’t sing about twinkling stars. She sings reminders to Olena that she is now safe from the deadly missiles that once flew over her home in southern Ukraine.
“Sleep. You are safe,” Anna sings. “The black birds of war will no longer fly in your dream. Your childhood will no longer limited by the rule of ‘two walls’ or bomb shelter. Your toys will no longer live under the bed. Sleep, my little one… You will no longer be afraid of loud noises and crouch down in the middle of the road out of fear, because deadly missiles will never fly over you again. I want to believe it. I want it more than anything for you.”
Olena with her mother Anna at a Caritas shelter in Ukraine. Photo: Caritas Ukraine/Trócaire
For children like Olena, memories of the brutal war in Ukraine are never far away. When the war broke out in 2022, Olena, Anna, her aunt and grandparents were forced to flee southern Ukraine as rockets plummeted cities.
Life under occupation in Ukraine was horrifying, Anna says, as food and medicine gradually ran out and the family feared they could be shot at any time.
“Life turned into roulette. We had to make decisions,” Anna says.
When the family left their home, they were met with rocket fire at the checkpoint.
“Missiles were flying over our heads. People in the cars were screaming, crying and praying. Everyone was afraid,” Anna says.
The family managed to seek safety in the Lviv region of Ukraine where they are supported by Trócaire partner Caritas Ukraine.
With funding from the Irish public through the Irish Emergency Alliance, Trócaire and the Caritas network in Ukraine and in the neighbouring countries of Poland, Romania, Moldova, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary, have provided humanitarian assistance to more than 5.3 million people impacted by violence and unrest in the eastern European region.
Read More: Surely the world can unite on a shared plea to end children’s suffering?
Within Ukraine, over 3 million people have received humanitarian support from Caritas. This includes the distribution of food, cash and essentials and providing shelters, health and psychosocial support.
Olena now attends a child-friendly space organised by Caritas Ukraine where she attends classes and workshops with her peers.
She now sings a new song, Anna says: “It’s me, it’s me, building a community.”
Anna says that it is now the family’s favourite song: “We are all building a community here.”
Trócaire’s Christmas Appeal is supporting the children of places such as Gaza, Ukraine, South Sudan and Ethiopia who are living in conflict zones.
Your donation this Christmas will help us to provide survival kits, emergency dignity kits, and essential food baskets, as well as supporting critical work across Trócaire’s global programmes.
*Names have been changed
