In eastern Ukraine’s forgotten conflict, a mother clings to hopes of peace
Marina has been forced to move twice as shells rained down on her village in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine. Now she must make do in a ramshackle shelter, caring for four generations of her family and hoping for peace that will allow them to pursue happier and safer lives.
Mother of three Marina Baban has been bombed out twice as conflict rages in the disputed Donetsk region.
© UNHCR Ukraine
Her own house, in the town of Krasnohorivka, was hit several times and she moved into a neighbour’s house a few streets away. After two years, that, too, was badly damaged by shellfire and the family had to leave.
The owner of a run-down property in an almost abandoned area on the edge of town let them use it and Marina gathered four generations of the family, from grandmother to grandchild, under one roof in a house with no running water and no windows left intact.
“Thanks to God, we’re all still alive,” Marina told UNHCR.
She found a job, working 12 hours a day earning US$75 per month and works hard to provide a comfortable home for her family. UNHCR support has helped Marina to meet the costs of everyday life.
They are among 1.5 million people forced from their homes by a conflict that most of the world has forgotten.
ENDS