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“It's important to believe in a miracle, that's the only way it can happen. That's why I believe...”

“It's important to believe in a miracle, that's the only way it can happen. That's why I believe...”

“Yarchyk likes to build things. He makes houses, airplanes, trucks. This is his greatest joy today. We have two bags of construction sets, here, take a look,” says Nadiia about her nine-year-old son's hobby. The kid smiles, and it seems as if he catches our conversation and understands that we are talking about him.

But in fact, the boy does not hear us. And he does not speak, so he is not able to answer...

Yaroslav was born prematurely. The doctors nursed the baby for a long time, took their time with the prognosis, and then wrote a “whole canvas of diagnoses”. But none of them were correct, as it turned out later.  The parents and their child were referred to various specialists, scheduled for examinations, and recommended expensive medications and nutritional supplements. Nadiia and Oleh carefully monitored their son's diet and adhered to the medication regimen. They expected the child's condition to improve. But time passed, and there were no changes.

Her son's deafness diagnosis was confirmed late, only in 2021, Nadiia recalls. “At the same time, we started visiting a private teacher, hoping that he would teach the child to speak. But we only had time to attend classes for six months - a full-scale war broke out. And there was no time for that. Our teacher left the city...”

Nadiia and Oleh are from Kharkiv. It is always difficult to raise a child with a disability, and even more so in times of war. There are only two specialized schools for children with hearing impairments in Kharkiv. But the emphasis in these institutions is on the fact that the child can still hear certain sounds...

Currently, Yaroslav has two online sign language classes a week, but this is not enough, the boy's father admits.

Oleh is a private entrepreneur. He specializes in computer repair. It is unrealistic to count on the stable income he had before the war. “In the first months after the Russian invasion, when people were leaving Kharkiv en masse, it was very difficult,” he says. “Then Kharkiv residents began to return a little bit. Everyone tried to organize their lives and work. Orders for computer repair began to appear. But... Not so much that the earnings were enough for the basic needs of the family. I don't want to raise the cost of the service - people are already struggling, so I might just lose customers. And food prices are rising... It's a vicious circle.”

The support from the Family to Family project is like a lifeline for them today, Nadiia and Oleh say. “You can't even imagine how important this help is for us,” Nadiya emphasizes, “My husband's earnings are low, and my son and I receive UAH 3250 in monthly social assistance from the state. And this is only recently, because we used to receive UAH 2990.” 

The family spends the funds from the project on immediate needs, such as food and utility bills. But most importantly, this help made it possible to repair hearing aids for their son. The boy received one such device from the state, and his parents bought the other at their own expense. The devices allow him to hear at least some sounds. But since both are damaged, it is impossible to use them.

“We also want to use the money to buy a power bank. Hearing aids are expensive, fragile and difficult to maintain. They need to be dried every four hours. And the so-called “dryer” requires power supply. That's why we can't do without a power bank...”

In addition, there is a great need for individual lessons with specialists. And such sessions are paid. The parents also want to buy a laptop, a camera and a comfortable desk for their son. “This is a child... We can deny ourselves everything, but our son should have everything he needs for development,” says the boy's father. 

When asked what they dream about, Nadiia and Oleh answer: just to live. To live the way they used to. “It turns out that before the war we had a great life,” the woman adds, “We could plan our future. We were safe. And now we live in a state of constant tension and stress. We have prepared food and water in case of blackout, in case of... nuclear war. You're walking down the street, and your only thought is where to hide in case of danger. And the biggest dream is from the category of unrealizable dreams. I wish that our Yaryk would start talking. They say you have to believe in a miracle, that's the only way it can happen. So I believe...”


The Polish-Ukrainian project “Family to Family” is implemented by Caritas-Spes with the support of Caritas Poland in the Kyiv-Zhytomyr, Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Dioceses and Lviv Archdioceses. The project provides monthly financial assistance to low-income families with many children, families raising children with disabilities, single elderly people in difficult situations, and internally displaced Ukrainians affected by the consequences of the war.

5 June 2024
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