Many damaged houses, broken windows, signs warning about the danger of mines in the area, and exhausted but extremely friendly elderly people. This is how we are greeted in the south of Ukraine.

All photos are the property of CARE.

The villages of Snihurivka and Novovasylivka in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region have been under Russian military control for about nine months. The shelling and the whistling of rockets rarely cease here. And after the dam explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the flooding has complicated an already difficult situation.

 Snihurivka

“We are patient, and with God’s help we will survive everything,” says 70-year-old Liudmyla.

Almost all the young people left the village in the spring of 2022. Most of them never returned.

“We left too,” says 62-year-old Halyna. “We travelled all over the South. We were in Mykolaiv and Odesa. We stayed with friends and in shelters, but as soon as we learned that Snihurivka was again under the control of the Ukrainian government, I decided to return. Because this is my home and my whole life. I am protecting what is left.”

Almost a quarter of Ukraine’s population is of retirement age. In the areas newly under control of the Ukrainian government this percentage is over 90.

With the financial support of Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC, UK), CARE is helping these people to restore their damaged homes. The process of replacing the broken windows has already begun, and for everyone who stays here, it is invaluable.

“We spent all our savings while the Russian military controlled everything here. Shops, pharmacies, hospitals—nothing worked, and we had to pay very expensive prices just to get some food.  At that time, everyone who stayed here cooked and ate together. That’s what helped us survive those grueling months,” recalls 72-year-old Raisa.

“It’s a little easier now. Humanitarian organizations bring us bread, water and inform us when hygiene products or long-term storage products are brought to the city: cereal, canned food, oil. The only thing we lack is peace and quiet so that we can rebuild everything and return to a normal life,” says 66-year-old Antonina.

Landmines are also a big worry for everyone. Some agricultural land is overgrown with weeds because these areas have not yet been cleared of mines. It’s the same with forests.

“Our own vegetables, wild mushrooms and berries helped us survive. But now, unfortunately, they are not available. Recently, a man from a neighbouring house went to the forest to pick mushrooms and hit a mine. The authorities warn of the danger, but sometimes out of desperation, and sometimes because of their own habits, people ignore these warnings.”

Other parts of the agricultural land suffered from flooding.

In mid-June, the water in the street in which Alla lives, in Novovasylivka, was higher than the top of the windows.

“The library is damaged, the garden is ruined, all the furniture and appliances are destroyed. We have nothing left,” she says.

Temporarily, she is being taken in by neighbours from the street on the hill, who were lucky enough that water did not reach their homes. Sixty-four houses in the village were damaged. Now the walls are collapsing, there is no electricity, and there is a lot of mud. The walls and all the beds were flooded. There is still water in the basement.  The well is silted up.

“I live with my mother, who is 87 years old, and my husband. We are all pensioners, and I don’t know if we can restore all this on our own. Unfortunately, we have no other place to live.”

In this region, people live on vegetables harvested from their own gardens. The water took destroyed this year’s crops. The orchard and vineyard have been damaged and will take years to rebuild.

The water has come and gone, and its destructive effects will be felt in this region for a long time.

How CARE and our partners are supporting people in and around Ukraine

CARE has worked in Ukraine since 2022 in response to rapidly escalating humanitarian needs due to the escalation of conflict with Russia.

We support internally displaced people in Ukraine and refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries, working through partners in Poland, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. Alongside our partners, CARE is providing immediate relief and aid in the form of food, shelter, blankets, diapers and hygiene products as well as food, water, cash and psychosocial support.

CARE’s humanitarian aid inside Ukraine is focused on cash assistance, shelter and essential items, food, health (including sexual, reproductive and maternal health) and protection. All activities have a strong gender focus.

Help ensure people living in crisis have the essentials they need and can rebuild their lives.