Natalya (7) is Overcoming the War in Her Mind
Photo: Michael Jessurun | Untold Stories ©
Sheltering in the basement
Seconds after the air raid siren sounds, Natalya’s mother and sister enter her bedroom. Their father ushers them down the stairs and into the basement. They stand there; huddled together in shock. Natalya shivers in her thin pajamas.
Just a few hours earlier, before bed, Natalya had told her mother that she couldn’t wait to start kindergarten. “But that was before the war”, she says quietly.
Surrounded by violence
“Everyone thought the violence would end as quickly as it had started”, recounts her mother. “But then came the shelling.
“Within a few hours, the army was closing in on us. A large bridge near our house was blown up to try and stop them.”
She continues: “When fighter planes were deployed, we hardly dared to leave the basement. We had no electricity or heating. In the freezing cold and full of fear, we waited - sometimes with 20 people. In the end, we ran out of food."
Fleeing the front line
A few weeks in, Natalya develops a fever. “I was shaking but I wasn’t cold. I was sick but there was no doctor”, she says.
“The medication I had wasn’t enough”, adds her mother. “That was the last straw: we had to leave.”
After a perilous journey, dodging explosions, the family arrived in Kyiv. “The doctors told us that Natalya had a kidney problem - her situation was critical.”
Anxiety sets in
Fortunately, Natalya survived her illness. The family is now back home; trying to pick up their lives again.
“But the threat remains - we are afraid”, says her mother. “Natalya is afraid of the war; afraid of getting sick again.”
Natalya’s fear didn’t arise straight away. It took almost a year for her to process what happened. Natalya’s mother: “She became anxious and afraid of everything. She was sleeping badly and had a lot of nightmares.”
Dealing with fear
When Natalya gets the chance to return to school, she’s filled with dread. “I was very scared at first. I vomited a lot and forgot everything I learned.”
After school, she takes part in activities at a War Child “Safe Space”. Here she can play, be creative and learn to talk about her feelings.
“She always comes back happy”, says her mother. “The dance lessons are my favourite”, Natalya chimes in. “I like to draw and tease the teacher.”
Regaining hope
“I see the positive impact on Natalya”, her mother continues. “I’m so relieved when I see her playing and laughing.”
She also receives psychological support at our Safe Space. “Because all the events stay in my head", she says. "Every little problem becomes bigger. At the space, I learn how I can look after myself whilst being a good parent.”
“The war has stolen Natalya’s childhood”, she adds with visible emotion. “But together with War Child, we are doing everything we can to make sure she doesn’t lose her future.”
