Volunteers with Repair Together clearing rubble from a destroyed house in Baklanova Muraviika, Ukraine. — The New York Times
THE young, mostly urban youth came Lukashivka, Ukraine to clear rubble and rebuild the destroyed homes of villagers, many of whom were in their 70s and 80s. In turn, the elders hosted the volunteers in their temporary shelters and cooked them meals as they worked.
Repair Together, a volunteer organisation, has been helping civilians rebuild since areas in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions were retaken from Russian forces.
The group says that 120 houses in over a dozen villages have been cleared of debris in the past year, and with the weather warming, the pace has picked up.
The effort has brought together Ukrainians from different generations who, under normal circumstances, would rarely interact with one another. They said they have grown closer in their shared experiences during the war.
Volunteers from Repair Together laying cinderblocks while rebuilding a house destroyed in a shelling last year in Lukashivka, Ukraine. — The New York Times
In addition to its core work, the organisation also hosts DJs and raves, as well as holding cultural events with local residents of the villages where they work.
As the sun beat overhead on a Saturday in Lukashivka, the aroma of savoury pas-tries and soup filled the area, near where cinder blocks were stacked up, ready to
become walls for Olga Varenyk’s new home. She called over about a half-dozen volunteers to take a lunch break. Bowl after bowl of food came out of her temporary kitchen, and she busily ensured they all sat down and ate.
Tamara Kryvopala, 66, was watching over a pot of stew and washing dishes as she recalled how her daughter-in-law was so terrified by the shelling last year as they sheltered in the cellar that she was not able to breastfeed her eight-day-old son. She said they had to sneak out to get cow’s milk, which they would mix with water, to keep the child alive.
Zeena Hfedorivna, 73, helping a volunteer tie a bandanna on her head in front of Hfedorivna’s destroyed house. — The New York Times
Kryvopala said she is grateful that her new house is nearly completed, and for the company of the volunteers.
In Baklanova Muraviika, a village near Lukashivka, Zeena Mezin, 73, climbed up a rickety set of stairs into where she was living temporarily, and made a large bucketful of cherry compote – a sweet beverage made from cooked cherries, water, and sugar to give to the helpers clearing rubble from the lot where her house once stood.
Mezin had been sheltering in the basement with her husband last March when a shell hit their house, setting the roof on fire and destroying everything.
“I’m thankful to all these children,” she said. — The New York Times
