April 5, 2016
Ukraine
Workers of Archdiocesan Caritas of Olomouc are in Ukraine. The Participants of the journey: Director Vaclav Keprt, Chief of Humanitarian Department Martin Zamazal, and Coordinator of Huumanitarian Help Rostislav Strojvus met with representatives of Caritas Kiev and president of Caritas Ukraine.
Monday 4th April – Kiev
Caritas Kiev
Our next stop. Caritas in Kiev Greek Catholic Church operates in a small building inside of a housing estate near a school and church. When father Roman Syrotych invites us in we find an optimistic, colourful interior.
Although the Caritas helps tens of thousands of those in need at the moment and their residence has been reconstructed lately, its function can be ended from day to day – it is not clear, whose this building is. Therefore, the city management prolongs the rent only for three years. The charity workers have to take care of the administration themselves by looking up necessary documents and make searches for the owner.
Caritas Kiev team includes 5 employees and different volunteers. Firstly, they helped homeless children (3 – 18 years) in cooperation with the school cafeteria. Volunteers were looking for small children around the town, also in buildings cellars. Luckily at the moment the numbers of homeless children in Kiev are low. “We have now another big problem – we help children of parents, who are addicted on alcohol and other drugs and do not take care of their children”, says Father Roman. Every day about 100 of children like that visit Caritas. Often their situation is worse than one of orphan.
Economic crisis drives people to alcoholism
Ukraine is now dealing with economic crisis. People don’t have job and deal with existential issues. Rent in Kiev costs around 800 Hryvnia and the wage or pension is between 1200 – 3000 Hryvnia. Many have to take care of their whole family and things necessary for living are increasingly expensive. “For example one box with 30 diapers used to cost 180 Hryvnia, nowadays the price is up to 600 Hryvnia,” according to Father Roman. Existential problems often lead to alcoholism. Caritas Kiev works with both addicted adults who want to solve their problems and children of such parents, who don’t take care of them. “These children have worse lives than those without parents,” thinks Father Roman.
From three months became years
The next category of people that need to be supported are immigrants from the east of the country. “When, approximately two years ago, the first of them came, they were lightly dressed, without anything, just the way they escaped from danger. Ukraine was not prepared for anything like that, we had to help them materially immediately,” says Roman Syrotych, who adds that back then a lot of them thought within three months they will be able to go back home. That did not happen. Months passed and they ran out of money. There were about 500 immigrants from the east of the country coming to register to Caritas Kiev daily. “At the moment we have about 20,000, 15,000 them we managed to help one time,” continues Father Roman. According to him official numbers say that in the peaceful places of Ukraine there are now 1.7 million immigrants in makeshift conditions.
Room of ideas and emotions
Yes, also this we will visit during our trip. Children of immigrants enter a magical world. There are fairy costumes hanging, stuffed animals, sand pictures or even piano, whose keys are colourful and covered with hearts, coins, pearls or for instance spiders. “According to colour of the key and tone that they give, the psychologist can recognise what is going on inside the children’s minds. These children came to a completely different environment, their families are materially insecure and they’re often not being accepted at school,” describes father Roman. Caritas Kiev is for many children the only place where they like to go. “When we asked the children what they’d like to be, many of them answered, they would like to establish their own Caritas,” smiles Roman Syrotych.
Caritas clients learn to work with computers, play football tournaments, or sew bed sheets that later go to families in need.
The biggest European humanitarian crisis since WWII is in the east of Ukraine and the world doesn’t notice that. That and much more we hear from president of Caritas Ukraine and the world doesn’t notice that. That and much more we hear from president of Caritas Ukraine Andriy Waskowycz. On Monday afternoon we go to Caritas Ukraine. They warmly welcome us, nevertheless we feel sadness. Sadness over things happening in the east of Ukraine. According to Andriy the worst situation is in three areas near the battlefront. “Most people ran away and only old and ill residents stay, some bed-ridden ones, who have no-one to take care of them. Sometimes neighbours help but sometimes such person cannot get any food and medical help and dies alone in an empty home,” he says. According to Andriy at the moment nobody knows what the exact situation in the zone is.
Many residents of eastern regions ran away from the war to other neighbourhoods. Denizens offered them help, often accommodated them in their own homes. But the war lasts way too long. “Residents who live near the warzone are often in worse situation than the immigrants themselves. Some are then asking themselves, how they can help others, when they need help themselves. It’s very hard to keep stability there now,” continues the president of Charity.
In the evening we go by microbus to Lopatyn. Scout volunteer Honza Lebeda writes down next chapter from the trip into the journal.
Next stop will be in Lopatyn.
Karolína Opatřilová, ACHO
