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For several months, UNHCR, in combination with its spouse organizations, has been helping the most vulnerable people in eastern Ukraine protect them from coronavirus and help them at this difficult time. They distributed disinfectants and non-public protective equipment, supported mask production initiatives. How has this affected other people’s habits? Do you comply with quarantine recommendations? We asked the others at Donbass about this.
Anna Ivanovna, 83, village of Nyzhniya Vilkhova, Stanychno-Luhanskyi region, Lugansk Oblast:
“I live alone, I don’t leave space now. Here are two stools. When I cook, I sit in one and lean on another. I also move through space in the same way. When I want to feed the chickens, I pass out with the walkers. If anyone comes to me, I put on a mask. I also wash my hands with soap,” says Anna Ivanovna. Anna Ivanovna was born in the village of Nyzhniya Vilkhova, Stanychno-Luhanskyi region, Lugansk Oblast.
For a long time, she worked and lived in Luhansk. After retiring, she returned to her parents’ house. Despite the fact that Anna Ivanovna constantly resides in the government controlled areas, she is still registered in Luhansk.
In early March 2020, Anna Ivanovna went to Lugansk to receive a remedy at the hospital, but was unable to return home due to the temporary suspension of stanitsia Luhanska’s entry and exit checkpoint. This was to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection. On May 19, Anna Ivanovna was able to cross the contact line and return to her permanent department thanks to the so-called organized “green corridor”, a pass for others who have smart reasons to cross the contact line. Since Anna Ivanovna does not have a smartphone to download the self- isolation “Diy Vdoma” app, she was forced to settle for 14 days at Stanitsia Luhanska Hospital.
The elderly woman interviewed as a component of the UNHCR Protection Assistance Programme, which aims to make the most vulnerable With the cash received, Anna Ivanovna acquired the mandatory means of rehabilitation: a walker and a tonometer.
Ilya, years old, Valuiske village, Stanychno-Luhanskyi region, Lugansk Oblast:
Ilya is one of the active members of the youth organization “We are a generation for change” which, in combination with the humanitarian center “Proliska-Stanitsia Luhanska”, has implemented many projects aimed at supporting and protecting communities close to contact. . The projects come with the opening of the summer cinema in the village of Valuiske with a loose Wi-Fi zone, the manufacture and distribution of reusable bags, as well as the organization of occasions for young people and adults.
Ilya believes that dressing in a mask is an integral component of her life. He’s not going anywhere without him. At first he found it uncomfortable to use it, but then he got used to it. People who don’t wear masks scare them because it’s about protecting everyone. He chose a mask that was modern and comfortable. It has two reusable black masks and a green one. He washes them regularly. It also has an ordinary disposable mask. In addition, he began to wash his hands more with soap and to use an antiseptic before entering the store, after shopping, in public shops and after using paper money.
“Recently, I started using a credit card rather than cash paper because it can be disinfected. Besides, I always leave my cell phone blank.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ilya and her classmates were transferred to school remotely. It’s complicated because they were components of the promotion. Not all teachers can seamlessly transfer to this paint format. Students were also invited to do a lot of self-employment. On May 15, they began preparing for an independent external evaluation through video conferencing. With this format, they talk more actively with their online teachers.
“We drag less, we adhere to the self-isolation regimen, we only faint in case of an emergency, we wear a mask and we took an antiseptic. How do we communicate? Especially on the Internet. We create organizational discussions and video calls. All in general, it’s fun, ” said Ilya.
Inna, 30, and his 6-year-old son Joseph, the town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast:
“For my forty years, I couldn’t get used to the mask because of a lack of oxygen, I faint. It’s because of my health. If necessary, of course, my son and I went out to wear masks, which were delivered through the workers of the Proliska-Chasiv Yar humanitarian center,” inna explains.
They don’t walk around the city unless they want it, and if they pass out, they stay some distance from each other and the others. They also wash their hands more than before and leave blank the products they buy in the store as soon as they get home. They spend a lot of time with their son at home. To avoid boredom, they will be offering games to play.
In 2016, Inna and Joseph left the town of Makiivka, located in non-government-controlled spaces, to make a stopover at their sister in the village of Mironivka. The boy was only 2 years old at the time. Mironivka was under fire, so Inna was looking for a safer position to move. Thanks to the voluntary disposition project, implemented through the UNHCR monetaryly assisted Proliska humanitarian project, the family circle acquired a space in the town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk Oblast. In addition, workers at the Proliska-Chasiv Yar Humanitarian Center took Inna and her son to social assistance.
After the move, Inna stopped receiving social benefits for internally displaced persons (IPS) and also had to deal with the unemployment challenge because she did not have a high school diploma. Workers at the Proliska-Chasiv Yar Humanitarian Center helped her at a night school in Bakhmut, took her son to kindergarten and applied for a grant and repaired her social benefits. He also underwent a full medical examination and won a disability group.
Tetyana, 47, and Lyudmila, 27, the city of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast:
Tetyana and Lyudmila are stepmothers and daughters-in-law. Tetyana and her circle of relatives left Popasna and moved to Chasiv Yar in 2014, when the armed confrontation began. In 2015, eldest son Vlad married Lyudmila. The couple are now raising five children, two of whom are adopted children. Employees of the Proliska-Chasiv Yar Humanitarian Center have been providing social services and the family circle since 2014.
Tetyana said the blockade, they were accustomed to masking, although it is still difficult to breathe them. It is difficult to buy masks in pharmacies or stores, but they still have mask, thanks to Proliska workers and volunteers. When they pass out, they seek to stay away from others. But to be honest, she said it was complicated because they’re sociable.
“With the beginning of the lockdown, we have a obligatory culture in our house: wash your hands without delay when you enter the house”
produced and distributed to others with special desires and social personnel since the COVID-19 outbreak
distributed to Luhanskaoblast Youth Social Services Centers
received disinfectant parts for resident hygiene situations
supplied with hygiene kits containing sanitation and cleaning in western and central Ukraine
Galina Oleksiivna, 68, Peredilske Village, Stanychno-Luhanskyi Region, Lugansk Oblast:
Galina Oleksiivna cares for her disabled husband. With the Proliska humanitarian project and unHCR’s coverage assistance programme, spouses were able to purchase a forged fuel boiler.
“In general, I make sure I don’t pass out, and if I pass out, I move home quickly, I have to respect the social distance. Well, the other day, there was a funeral: the neighbor died. I didn’t even go to the cemetery because I’m watching the lockdown.”
They started washing their hands more occasionally because they are very afraid of coronavirus. The television said it was very dangerous, so they’re afraid. They don’t wear a mask at home, but they wear them when they pass out. They bought two masks for about 40 years old at the store for 15 UAH. They wash them every day. When Peredilske activists began sewing the mask, Proliska provided them with fabric. These masks were given to them at the rescue station.
Olena Oleksandrivna, 60, and her grandson Roman, 13, shchatstia city, Novoaidarskyi region, Lugansk Oblast:
Olena Olexandrivna lives with her 13-year-old grandson. The Proliska-Shchatstia Humanitarian Center has been supporting this circle of low-income relatives since 2018: if necessary, they move products and items from the “social wardrobe.” Thanks to UNHCR’s coverage assistance programme, Grandma and grandson purchased two beds.
Olena says his behavior during the lockdown hasn’t replaced much. He cleaned the apartment in white and washed his hands. She educates Roman to be ordained and blank. They use maskArray every time they pass out. At first, they were bought for 7 UAH at the pharmacy, then sewed a reusable mask for her and her grandson. It’s very convenient, she washes them. Array There is no challenge with the mask now, but at first they were not available.
“I’m a very devoted person, but when I started my forties, I didn’t even go to church to be among the people. The priest allowed me to do that. Now I move on to the church, however, we meet in small teams and keep me at a distance. I’m very worried, especially for my grandson, who probably doesn’t inflate anywhere. In fact, I need this epidemic to end faster, so that we can return to a general life,” Olena says.
Nina, 64, and Marina, 58, village of Bakhmutka, Donetsk Oblast:
Nina and Marina have fitness disorders and are constantly without medication. There’s no pharmacy in the front-line town. Previously, women took a bus to buy drugs, but due to the blockade, all public shipments were canceled.
“If you want to buy the compulsory medicines, you will have to go to Bakhmut by taxi or request assistance from the Proliska-Mayorsk Humanitarian Centre, which has been operating in the village for five years.”
They make sure they don’t leave the space unintentionally, and if they leave, they’ll have to wear a mask and practice the distance. Occasionally, there is a challenge with the products. They only have a small shop where there is a very small variety of products at higher prices. If you want something, they ask the volunteers or young people to pass it and buy it in Bakhmut. In Bakhmutka, washing your hands more is challenging because there are water-consistent challenges in the village, they said. In order for local citizens to comply with hygiene standards, workers at the Proliska-Mayorsk Humanitarian Centre turned to the organization “People in Need” and asked to increase the amount of water delivered to Bakhmutka.
Sergiy, 54, Svitlodarsk City, Donetsk Oblast:
“Currently, I do not apply because I am looking to organize the organization of the disabled and start receiving social benefits. When I was 40, I was very worried, avoiding crowded places, looking to sit more at home,” Serhiy says.
They gave him a mask from his friends because he couldn’t buy them alone. At first, the pharmacy costs were very high or the mask was exhausted. No one gave him a mask at the hospital, too. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has become more guilty for his health. He helps maintain a social distance and wears a mask. During his quarantine, with staff from the Proliska-Svitlodarsk Humanitarian Center providing social services, Array Serhiy passed a commission of medical and social experts at the Slovyansk Medical and Social Knowledge Center to obtain an organization of other people with disabilities. Serhiy then appeared with the Bakhmut District Department of Labor and Welfare for social benefits and assistance as a low-income person.
Thanks to UNHCR’s coverage programme, the type was able to pay for transport from Svitlodarsk to Bakhmut and buy a blood pressure monitor. This not only helped control fitness, but also reduced visits to the circle of medical relatives and therefore reduced the number of contacts with others during the quarantine period.
This article was edited with online volunteer Jennifer Miller. Find volunteer opportunities in https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en
UNHCR, together with its partner NGOs, has rescheduled its aid and network allocation activities to prepare for and respond to the express wishes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, UNHCR has introduced 47 COVID-19-related assignments on both sides of the “contact line” in eastern Ukraine to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 threat. The projects come with the help of the network to produce and distribute face masks, have an immediate effect on tasks in the form of providing non-public protective devices, bicycles and other appliances to local healthcare providers to increase their responsiveness to COVID- 19)
UNHCR has distributed more than 50,000 posters and leaflets on the prevention of COVID-19 in remote villages near the contact line, resources that have been produced through the World Health Organization.
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