Ukraine/ Uzhhorod
Come to rest in the mother-child house
Darina is seven years old when she has to flee with her mother and sister from Sjewerodonezk. Darina is slightly paralyzed. Breast cancer was found in the mother. Some children hit fate particularly hard. The Medical Aid Committee Zakarpattya (MacZ) is there for you.
"I can't complain," says Dasa's mother Viktoria. But it sounds as if she still has to convince herself. “We get food, water, everyone has their own bed. There are so many good people. Everyone is trying to help us. ”An office building in a disused industrial area on the edge of the city of Uzhhorod is the new home of Viktoria, her two daughters and other women and children who have fled from the battle areas to the west of Ukraine. Many voluntary initiatives take care of the concerns and needs of the displaced. The Terre of the Hommes partner organization MacZ is closely networked with them and supports their work-for example with furniture, mattresses, toys or food.
Help with a donation
Because the housing shortage is large, a small hotel was bought last year and converted into a mother-child house: eight women and their children can live here at the same time, come to rest and learn to get their lives under control despite the adverse circumstances. The families can stay for six months, then space is required for newcomers. There is a play room and a community kitchen in the house. The families are supported in the school or kindergarten registration, applications or educational issues. Women outside the house also use this advice.
"Many children don't want to stay alone, they are afraid of losing their parents and are very concerned about the life of relatives," reports Tetiana Romantsova, who supports the work of the MacZ as a psychologist. "They are often easy to do, sleep badly, suffer from tension and anxiety." The parents can hardly help their children: due to the loss of loved ones, many are traumatized and unable to offer their children a “safe haven”.
"When playing, the child shows what it feels and what worries it has."
Role games and puppetry games, but also modeling with kneading mass or sound and telling stories with a positive end help the children process the terrible pictures of the war. Darina and Viktoria also received support in coping with her concerns: Dasal paralysis was treated, she is better. Viktoria's breast cancer was operated on. "I used to have a lot of dreams," she says. "But now I have only remained a dream: to survive. For my children."
