Many refugees who have come to Brabant from Ukraine are now starting to find their feet. They have found a job, are doing volunteer work or are going to school. But the older generation often has a hard time. Many Ukrainian elderly feel lonely. Such as the 77-year-old Marina Kuzmenko, who has been living in Eindhoven since March.
Marina opens the door with a warm smile. But behind her smile lurks sadness. Because no matter how grateful Marina is that she now lives safely with her family in Eindhoven, she is also very lonely here.
“We had a wonderful life, but when the war broke out, everything changed.”
Her granddaughter Anna does the talking, because Marina only speaks Ukrainian. She tells the impressive story of their flight. “We had a wonderful life in Kiev. But when the war broke out, everything changed. The sirens sounded several times a day and we had to find a place to hide. Life became impossible there.”
And so they decided to flee. Anna left with her two sons, her parents and her grandmother Marina. “It was a long, tiring journey. We first went to Moldova. Then we came to the Romanian border. There we queued for 20 hours to cross that border.” Then they continued their journey through the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany and finally they arrived in the Netherlands.
“Grandma feels more and more anxious and sad.”
In Eindhoven, the family found a place to live with the help of friends. “In the beginning we were in shock at everything we had to leave behind. But now everyone is getting used to Eindhoven. The children go to school and I work at a primary school where Ukrainian children are taken care of. away on Friday, but grandma is home alone all day,” Anna says.
Grandma Marina has little to do during the day. She doesn’t speak English so she doesn’t dare to go out alone. And so she stays at home and watches TV, especially Ukrainian news channels. Anna: “Grandma has war trauma. And because she now watches images of the war all day long, she feels increasingly anxious and sad.”
“It’s as if Grandma’s life has remained in Ukraine and has been devastated by the war.
Marina does her best to integrate. In a notebook she writes all the Dutch words she hears. And she tries to learn it by heart. She is looking for a reason to turn off the TV and would like to make herself useful in Eindhoven and integrate. Anna explains: “Grandma has lost her independence. She can only watch how we live here. It is as if her life has remained in Ukraine and has been destroyed by the war. And that has to change.”
According to Anna, many more refugee elderly people struggle with loneliness. And that’s why she and her grandmother Marina have a dream. “It would be so nice if there was a place where they could meet each other. Where they could talk together, process their war traumas, sing, paint and make friends. Then they would also have the chance to build a new life .”
