Winter challenges: how older people survive cold winter in eastern Ukraine
Published: Jan 28, 2022 Reading time: 2 minutes
Older and lonely person is the portrait of 30% of the inhabitants of the front-line territories of eastern Ukraine who regularly face health problems, have limited access to basic services and many other difficulties and restrictions. The average income of local pensioners ranges from UAH 2,000 (70 USD) to 4,000 UAH (140 USD) according to the Ukrainian Pension Fund. They don’t have enough money to buy food and medicine, and they can’t afford repairs of their houses or buy sufficient quantity of coil or wood for heating during winter.
In many settlements, the residents of private houses are trying to save money as much as they can. They turn on heating only during severe frosts and heat only 1 or 2 rooms in the house. With little frost, they are forced to live in overalls. A large number of houses on the contact line are damaged by shelling: the walls are cracked and broken windows are often covered with plastic plates, and it significantly reduces the efficiency of heating.
To support the residents in the east of Ukraine, People in Need provides cash for the purchase of coal and firewood. Three hundred households have already received assistance this winter. Among the recipients are the residents of Marinka and Toretsk, Donetsk region.
For Lidiia who lives in Marinka this support is very valuable. Because even before the increase in fuel prices, the woman could not afford to buy at least 3 tons of coal which is needed per winter season.
“My house has no windows, all of them were blown out during the shelling. Now they are simply covered with wooden shields. But I don't want to go anywhere. Besides, I don’t have any relatives who can help me. Therefore, I really need support to buy coal. The pension is not enough even for medicines and food, I’m not even saying about coal. And now, having received cash assistance, I am confident that my cat Matilda and I will be warm this winter.”
For Lidiia’s neighbour Vera, cash assistance provided with the support from the European Union is also very important. “A payment per household is 9,000 UAH. Back in November 2021, we started receiving the money. One of the neighbours has bought coal, some others firewood or fuel briquettes, but we all spent money on fuel. Otherwise diseases and cold could turn our village into a ghost”, shares Vera.