“Sometimes we feel like we are swimming against a current that never slows down,” said Tiutiunnyk, a protection specialist working in Ukraine for the United Nations Agency for Refugees (Hcr). Viktoria herself is a displaced person from Luhansk, forced to flee after the start of hostilities.
“I was not part of the humanitarian community,” she recalls, speaking of the first days of the invasion, before World Humanitarian Day.
“I was not with the UNHCR at that time. I was an official, but I think that these events that occurred in my life and the life of the country were the trigger for me: I went to the humanitarian sector and I joined the UNHCR. ”
With evacuations in progress in eastern Ukraine, Ms. Tiutiunnyk now helps support the evacuated and newly displaced people in the Dnipro region, as well as those that remain in the front line areas.
Since August 1 of last year, more than 192,000 people have left the region, either by themselves, either with the support of the authorities and volunteers-and the UNHCR provides them with essential assistance.
Viktoria Tiutiunnyk, protection partner working in Ukraine for the United Nations Agency for Refugees, UNHCR.
‘I am where I am supposed to be’
“When I meet these people after an attack or on a site where they are currently staying, it reminds me of why I do this job,” said Tiutiunnyk, who recently returned from a mission on the ground. “When they open, when they share their stories, what they have experienced, it is so deep. And at that moment, I really feel like I am where I am supposed to be. »»
Many displaced people are under extreme stress; Their life is filled with fear and anxiety. Some have fled pressed without passports and other essential documents, while others need any money to buy food and medication.
The UNHCR emergency response includes psychological support, legal aid and cash assistance. “We also provide support to some of the collective sites where people can stay a while until they find other places,” says Tiutiunnyk.
With the war now in its fourth year and 3.7 million people displaced internally, humanitarian needs continue to degenerate. “War continues, the attacks continue, the needs continue to grow,” she says.
“It shouldn’t be the new normal”
Providing assistance on fronts often means working in dangerous conditions, including drone attacks and air strikes: while it was talking to the UN News, an air siren has sounded in the background.
“It’s stressful for sure. For many people, it is now their daily life. They remain in front line areas despite the daily bombings and attacks. For what? Because it’s their house. “
If I can bring them hope, it fills my life with meaning
In their work, Ms. Tiutiunnyk and her colleagues speak daily with deeply traumatized and anxious people – many of them apply humanitarian workers not to abandon them.
“I am the same thing. I am also moved, and if I can bring them this hope, this little help, at least helps stabilize their situation, this fills my life with meaning.
“Some people say they get used to aerial raid alerts and the situation in general. But you can’t get used to this, right? It is not normal. It shouldn’t be the new standard, ”she adds.
When asked what made her move forward, Ms. Tiutiunnyk says that she is inspired by her colleagues – people with whom she often spends more time than her own family – and her managers, who, as she says, “work on the chronometer”.
“When I see that they can continue, why can’t I continue?” Do you have to think, do we pursue a common goal? Yes, we are. So we are in the right place. »»
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
