In the yard of a newly repaired house in Partyzanske Mykolaiv Oblast, five-year-old Bohdan races through the holes in a shrapnel-riddled fence, searching for his beloved cats. His mother, Angela, stands nearby, watching over him with a mix of pride and caution.
“It’s not easy for him here in Partyzanske,” Angela says. “He’s often bored. There are hardly any children to play with, the school has been bombed out, and there’s no kindergarten.”
Bohdan and Angela returned to their village ten months ago after fleeing to Poland when the war came to their doorstep. Though their home was severely damaged, they were determined to rebuild their lives.
“Last winter was incredibly hard. We lived under a tarpaulin roof with broken doors and windows. It was freezing inside, and we only had a small iron stove for warmth,” Angela recalls.
With support from DCA-NCA and financed by Danida, the Ukrainian organisation Welcome to Ukraine has installed six new windows, two doors, and repaired the roof of Angela and Bohdan’s house. These repairs have brought some relief, but life in the village remains challenging.
Winter is harsh
On a normal day, the temperature hovers at 0°C down to -10°C. Bohdan sits inside bundled in winter clothes, shedding only his shoes before heading back outside.
“It’s really cold here,” Angela admits. “But at least it’s much better than last year.”
The family relies on humanitarian aid for essentials like firewood, food, and water. Without this support, Angela, who lost her job at the start of the war in 2022, struggles to afford even the basics. Despite the challenges, Bohdan finds joy in small things.
“They’re so sweet,” he says of the cats and the family dog that roam the yard. For Angela, however, Bohdan running around is a source of anxiety too, as there are unexploded ordnance littered around the village.
“I worry every time he runs around,” she confesses.
Oleh’s house is being rebuilt
Bohdan and Angela are not alone in their efforts to rebuild. Angela’s brother, Oleh, is repairing his house with the same help from DCA-NCA and Welcome to Ukraine. The home, damaged by cluster bombs, requires extensive work, including a new roof, walls, windows, and doors. For now, Oleh and his mother live with Angela’s family.
“I grew up here. It’s strange to see everything so destroyed,” Oleh says, standing in the shadow of his battered home. Despite the emotional and physical toll, he hopes to move back into his house by summer.
Further down the village, Oleksandr and Snizhana, another family working to rebuild, have managed to restore their home and adapt to life in Partyzanske. Their six-year-old son, Volodymyr, now attends online school while playing with makeshift toys in the yard.
“We just want a house to live in”
For Bohdan, Partyzanske is both home and a place of loss. His laughter echoes through the yard as he chases his cats, a sound of normalcy in a village where destruction is still visible at every turn. Angela remains determined to create a safe and stable life for him.
“Rebuilding is the most urgent need,” she says. “We just want a house to live in.”
The efforts of organizations like DCA-NCA have made it possible for families to stay warm and sheltered through the brutal winters. Yet, the scars of war are never far away, as Partyzanske slowly rebuilds—one home, and one family, at a time.
About the project
There are still very diverse needs for the war-affected population in Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts, located close to the frontline. To address this, DCA-NCA provides grants of up to 15,000 USD to local initiatives and Ukrainian organisations such as Welcome to Ukraine. These grants offer flexible support to meet the specific needs of the community, ensuring that urgent issues are addressed. By supporting local projects, we empower the community to lead their own recovery and build a stronger, more resilient future.
The project is financed by Danida and implemented in partnership with Ukrainian Education Platform, Youth of Ukraine, ADRA Denmark, and ADRA Ukraine.
