October 3, 2022
News
It is certainly hard to be a refugee. But imagine what it is like to be a refugee with a hearing impairment: not being able to hear sirens when running to safety, not being able to communicate verbally, and not understanding what is going on around you. Tatiana and Alexander are both hearing impaired. They found a safe haven in Moldova and decided to build their lives there. Tatiana and
GIVE A CHANCE FOR A BETTER LIFE
Alexander have hearing impairment
Tatiana and Alexander are from Nicopoli, Ukraine.They do not hear and communicate only in sign language. They perceive the world visually, only through what they see and feel.
When the war in Ukraine started, Tatiana and Alexander were working in Russia. From conversations with their community, they understood that serious things were happening in Ukraine. The fear of persecution for being Ukrainian made them leave Russia and take refuge in a country neighboring Ukraine. Because they were missing some identity documents, the journey to safety took two months. "We arrived in Moldova via Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. We had the possibility to stay in the EU, but the thought of being as close as possible to Ukraine made us want to come here," recalls Tatiana.
We see peace on people's faces
In Moldova, the family was sheltered in a placement centre in Greblești, Strășeni district. Soon, Tatiana and Alexander understood that they were safe and there was peace around:
"We don't know what war sounds like, but we see how destructive it is. Here we can read it in people's faces and we understand that there is peace when people's faces are calm and quiet. Peace for us is when Egor, our little boy, greets people and they smile back. Peace is when our child laughs out loud, even if we don't hear him, but we see his face lighting up."
Ukraine is not a safe place for the hearing impaired
Tatiana and Alexander would like to return home to Nicopoli in the Zaporozhye region, but their hearing impairment would expose them to many dangers. "We wouldn't hear sirens or explosions. We might have woken up one morning with broken windows and smashed doors. It's hard for us to go back to Ukraine now... We wouldn't be able to protect our children from any bombs that might fall. For now we decided to stay in Moldova, where there is peace, and make a future for ourselves here," says Tatiana.
Now I know my family is safe
Alexander used to work as a builder. At first, he worked as a day labourer in the surrounding villages and communicated with employers by writing messages on paper. But these jobs were sporadic and many people avoided employing a hearing-impaired person because of the communication barrier. The family therefore quickly spent their savings during their journey towards Moldova. "The burden of lack of money was weighing on us .
The financial support offered by Caritas Czech Republic was like a breath of fresh air for us. It helps us to cover some of our basic needs and more than that, it gave me the flexibility to go to work in Romania because I know my family is safe and secure, " says Alexander.
Wedding bells ringing
Life seems to return to normalcy for Tatiana and Alexander. Egor, their 2-year-old son, is getting ready for kindergarten. Tatiana continues to receive financial support from the EU humanitarian funding, which she uses for basic needs, while she saves Alexander’s money since wedding bells will be ringing soon in their family.
Tatiana and Alexander want to get married and legally start a family. The wedding preparations have already begun. Tatiana is looking for a wedding dress and Alexander is in charge of finding the wedding rings.
They are about to say "I do” at their ceremony, to live happily and enjoy Egor's adventures.
The discussion between Tatiana, Alexander and the Caritas Czech Republic team was facilitated by Daria Achimova, Tatiana's eldest daughter, who lives in Prague, Czech Republic.
