Stories that you confided to us
We moved from Telmanove District, because the shooting attack was very hard. I felt terrified for the children. The child was so scared. We even went to a psychologist. He didn't sleep at night because of the very heavy shelling, so we decided to leave.
I took the children and moved here, to Kalchyk. We have been renting housing here for almost two years. We asked around and advised to take a look at this house. We found the owner. He allowed us with two children to live there without a hint of doubt. He said, "Go on, you can live here."
The walls were falling down. The house hasn't been renovated for a long time. It's been a long time since anyone lived in this house and looked after it. The heating wasn't turned on until we moved in. We heat the house with a stove. We live near the road. Every time tanks drove nearby, the house shook and crumbled.
They fired in the summer more. Now it seems the attacked subsided. We called some friends in Telmanove District. They told us the attacks didn't stop. We feel restful here. The child went to kindergarten. He started school here. Now I am settling my child to a kindergarten.
We went to a psychologist. He said that the child was feeling better. He began to forget. The child plays with children and tries to forget what happened. He has a new hobby now. We are trying to keep him occupied. I want him to join a hobby group. He played normally during the day, but when he went to bed, he screamed. When he woke up, he screamed. I couldn't calm him down. We could sit there for an hour or two. I would hold him in my arms, calming him down. He was so afraid that he had to cover his ears.
When we moved in, it seemed quiet. But every time he heard a car passing by, he got scared. He was always afraid. He said, "Mum, they're shooting." Luckily, he has already withdrew from it.
I receive child benefits and aid from Rinat Akhmetov. We used to get social allowance, but now it is not paid for some reasons. We used to receive 800 UAH for the children. We stretch finances on many things. First of all, we have to pay for housing, light, kindergarten, and school. Well, we pay 150-200 UAH per month since he is on extended leave.
We have a problem in the house since we have no water. There is a tap, but we have no water. We go to the wells. They turn water off and on whenever they want. We fill up the tank. And we have to do it twice a day. We need to wash the clothes and the dishes with hardly any water at our disposal. Thus, we need to bring it every day.
When quoting a story, a reference to the source – the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation – is mandatory, as follows:
The Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/
