Sumy, Ukraine — In a new city with only one bag of belongings, a new chapter began for Oleksandr and his wife. It was not the life they dreamed of, but it showed their immense strength and courage in the face of war. 

Not long after arriving in Sumy, the retired construction worker began volunteering at a local humanitarian hub. Continuing the work he had been doing all his life, he helps out with minor electrical repairs. It was at the hub that Oleksandr learned that he could register for the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) multipurpose cash programme.  

“We are grateful for this support, as you need money to survive,” he said after receiving assistance, made possible through funding from the European Union. “For pensioners, it is important to see that we are not abandoned, not alone. It gave us hope and confidence that the whole world is helping Ukraine.”  

When he received cash assistance earlier this year, Oleksandr spent almost all of it on medicine for him and his wife, a retired kindergarten teacher, who underwent surgery to remove a blood clot in the leg. Life has become exceedingly difficult for this couple at a time when they should be enjoying retirement.  

“When my heart is sad, I come to this park,” said Oleksandr, sitting in one of the city’s green spaces. Having lived his whole life in his own house with garden, he finds it hard to call a small, unfurnished flat in Sumy his home. The park is the only place where he feels real calm and somehow homely these days.  

Originally from the small village of Dubivka in Kharkiv Region, near the border with Russia, his life was peaceful until last year.  

“I was born in the Soviet Union when the borders between countries were open. And I always knew that it takes one hour to get to Ukrainian Kharkiv and the same time to get to Russian Belhorod,” he explained.  

But last February, living in the border area became dangerous for all and deadly for many. Villages like Dubivka were among the first to face the full-scale Russian invasion and were rapidly turned into battlefields. People living on the edge of the country were pushed to the edge of survival.  

Oleksandr with his wife remained in the village for two long, scary months. At first, hoping for improvement, then waiting for the rural fields around the village to dry up. They walked to a Ukrainian-controlled area to take an evacuation bus. They were planning to make it to western Ukraine, but Oleksandr’s wife's urgent health problems forced them to opt for the closest safe city, Sumy. 

Oleksandr sits on a bench in a park that he regularly visits to think about his home village which he was forced to flee last spring. Photo: IOM\Alisa Kyrpychova

Today, Dubivka is cut off from gas and electricity supplies, and no more than 10 per cent of its pre-war population still live there. Oleksandr said that his house was damaged and plundered. He is not sure what is left for him there, but still wants to return once it is safe to do so. 

Seeking a Better Life for Her Children

Every morning, Olha prepares her 10 and 12-year-old children for their online lessons. Her children’s safety was the main reason they fled their village in Sumy Region for the city. Although parts of the region are relatively safe, it is still close to the Russian Federation and border settlements, like Olha’s native village, are under constant shelling.  

“We lived near the border, and I would never in my life have thought that this could happen,” she recalled. “But the teacher called us and said that we were not going to school, Russia invaded Ukraine, the war began.” 

Leaving her home meant that Olha also left behind her job in the service industry. In Sumy City, she has not been able to find work. A single mother, Olha has no support network around her. Receiving cash assistance from IOM and the European Union has been vital for Olha’s family. She spent the money on her children, whose eyesight has deteriorated since the war started – "a hospital, procedures, examinations, glasses for both.” 

The children are getting used to the new city, enjoying its parks and cinemas. Olha doubts that they will ever return home, but she remains vigilant in case the war reaches their safe city.  

“We plan to stay here. Bold, courageous, and loyal to our borderline homeland,” Olha said.  

Olha near her new rented apartment in Sumy City. Photo: IOM\Alisa Kyrpychova

IOM’s multipurpose cash programme was launched in March 2022 and has reached more than 73,000 people across Ukraine thanks to the funding from the European Union. According to IOM data, cash has continued to increase as a prevalent need among displaced population. Three out of four displaced people in Ukraine identified it as their most pressing need helping them to cover health-related expenses (48%), food (45%) and rent (42%). IOM is expanding the programme to reach more people affected by the war in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. 

This story was written by Alisa Kyrpychova from the IOM Ukraine team

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