Olena is a brave woman creating space for people to live in safety – one square metre at a time.
Olena working as a demining expert in northern Ukraine
Displacement is always traumatic
People leave their homes because they don't feel safe, whether it’s from conflict, persecution, poverty or natural disasters.
Olena left her home in Severodonetsk, in the eastern part of Ukraine, in 2022. She was forced to flee due to the ongoing conflict, leaving behind her work running a woman’s clothing shop.
In the Ukraine, millions of people have fled the fighting in parts of the country since the conflict broke out in 2014.
Across whole regions, people have to deal with unexploded bombs and landmines that prevent them from going back to their homes and getting on with their lives.
She wants to rebuild her life
Olena, like so many displaced people, wanted to rebuild her life.
She started training as an expert in removing unexploded bombs and landmines so that she could create a safe environment for people to live.
Following extensive training, Olena now works removing landmines in the north of the country.
She is committed to her work making dangerous areas safe again and giving communities the chance to rebuild. Olena has no regrets about her decision and remains dedicated to her mission, helping to restore safety and hope to her country.
Olena's story is a story of survival, perseverance and hope so people can return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
Making dangerous places safe again
She is committed to her work making dangerous areas safe again and giving communities the chance to rebuild. Olena has no regrets about her decision and remains dedicated to her mission, helping to restore safety and hope to her country.
Olena's story is a story of survival, perseverance and hope so people can return to their homes and rebuild their lives.
A reminder to us all
When we see war in the media, we see bombed-out buildings and streets full of rubble. For obvious reasons, we don’t see the real victims.
We don’t see the lives lost and traumatised.
And we don’t see what it means to millions of people who have to leave everything behind. We don’t see the psychological trauma, and we don’t see the hopes and desires of those people to rebuild their lives with safety and dignity.
Olena is a vivid reminder to all of us that every one of the 100 million displaced people in the world today are individuals, with families, friends, hopes, dreams and desires.
We celebrate the work that Olena and her colleagues undertake every single day and we invite you to support her work and the work of people like her.
