“I hope that one day I won’t have to be so strong” – 18-year-old Nadiia shares how she started a new life
In over a year of work at Rokada’s regional office in Kropyvnytskyi, social worker Alla Andrusevych has supported more than a hundred internally displaced families. Each of them has had a difficult path, but Nadiia Redka’s story touched her most. At just 18, the young woman is trying to get back on her feet on her own, hundreds of kilometres from her home village in Donetsk region.
Nadiia turned 18 on a train. On 21 June this year, she was travelling to Kirovohrad region with no idea what the new chapter of her life would look like. Beside her were her boyfriend Sashko and her cat Garfield. All she had was a small suitcase and a few thousand hryvnias to live on – a one-off state payment for young people who have grown up without parental care.
Nadiia comes from Staryi Komar, almost a hundred kilometres from Volnovakha. She and her younger sister were raised by their grandmother. She remembers her almost carefree childhood as a cheerful and very active time – art school, accordion lessons, performances at the village club, lots of friends, fun by the river, mushroom picking… But she also remembers times when there wasn’t enough money even for food.
“So the vegetable garden saved us. Tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes – everything came from there. It wasn’t easy for Grandma with us, but despite everything, she gave us even more than she could. She was a very good person, I love her. It’s a pity she’s no longer with us,” says Nadiia.
Today, the young woman and her boyfriend live in a small community about fifty kilometres from the regional centre. She works in a shop, and Sashko at Nova Poshta. They rent an old house and are gradually settling in.
“Grandma passed away almost a year ago. My younger sister is now in our aunt’s care; she is already 16. I dream of being able to take her in. But first I need to get settled here so that everything is as it should be. Otherwise they may refuse if there are no proper conditions,” she says.
Alla Andrusevych says they met Nadiia while the team was implementing a project within the LINK consortium.
“My colleagues told me about the girl and her situation, so we met, and I offered her further support from the foundation. That is how our support began. Our psychologist Tetiana Miroshnychenko also joined in,” the social worker continues.
“The hardest thing for me was coping with the feeling of guilt after my grandmother’s death. But the foundation’s psychologist helped me work through this pain, and the anxiety eased,” Nadiia adds.
The foundation provided her with cash assistance of UAH 12,800. She also received a heater, a multicooker and an iron, and a bed and a wardrobe will be delivered soon.
“We really want everything to work out for Nadiia in the best possible way. Our partners – Tenth of April, 100% Life and Right to Protection – also responded to our request,” notes Alla Andrusevych.
Nadiia is grateful that she now has people she can turn to. She says it sometimes even feels awkward, because she is used to doing everything herself.
“You know, as soon as I get back on my feet, life knocks me down again. But you must not give up! Even if it’s very hard, there is always a way out. Even if there is no support from your family, as in my case. I have realised that no one will do what I want for me. If I want something, I will achieve it. If one way doesn’t work, I’ll try another. I always look for something positive. I hope that one day I won’t have to be so strong,” the young woman concludes.
