Travel diaries from Ukraine - #010 The day that changed my life forever

This little boy has changed my life forever. In today's episode I'm going to tell you how. Picture by my Austrian friend.

How one Ukrainian kid changed my whole life

Dear fellow Steemians, since some of you have shown interest in my connection to Ukraine and in the country itself, I decided to take you all on a journey through time and Europe and publish bits and pieces of the travel diary I kept on my very first journey to L'viv in 2007. I hope you enjoy reading this series as much as I enjoyed spending my first month in L'viv.

Strong women and their unbelievable stories

The first thing we do when we arrive in the city of Ternopil': we go and buy bananas, oranges, and tangerines for the people we are about to visit. Fruit is fairly expensive in Ukraine and the people we are about to meet will need a whole bunch of vitamins and healthy food. We take the bus to the women's refuge my friend visits regularly.

Before we go there, she tells me what I will have to expect. She tells me about a woman whose husband beat her up and raped her frequently. He even videotaped his acts of violence against her and made her watch the videos, pointing out and demonstrating what he could have done "better". Even their child had to watch the videos. I'm shocked to say the least.

Lovely children and their sad history

When we arrive, we are welcomed by a group of cheery little munchkins: six children are currently living here - most of them with their mums. Only two girls are here by themselves. Sisters. Their mother is an alcoholic. One woman has two children - one girl is her adopted child, the other one is her biological child. Her two sons are living with their father, her ex-husband, who started a fire in their flat, so she could no longer live in it. She is now pregnant with another child - from a third man. It's all a bit complicated. Little Marta will be born in a month. What her life will be like - nobody knows.

Nowhere to go

The other woman who is currently staying at the women's refuge used to live in a tiny hut with her parents. The house had no windows, so they used plastic foil instead. A fireplace in the middle of the ruins served as their oven and heater. In a storm, the house collapsed, leaving the grandparents buried under the debris. She and her two sons were able to escape the house just in time. Her children are so little - one boy is four years old, the other one is just a bit older. The little one is curious - and we instantly become friends, as you can probably tell from the picture. He wants to be carried around by me all the time and he keeps hugging me although we barely understand each other. My Ukrainian children-vocab is practically non-existent.

How this boy changed my life forever

So while I'm carrying him round and he's really enjoying himself, he suddenly breaks his biscuit into half and stuffs one half into my mouth. That's as unexpected as it is life-changing. There he is, this little four-year-old who has literally nothing more than the clothes he's wearing and this last biscuit - and he decides to share it with me. Although he doesn't understand me and although I obviously have more than he did.

When I have to leave, he asks the adults if I have to go too. It's heartbreaking - but I know I won't be here for the last time. (Thoughts from the present: I was right about that. Only I never saw my little friend again. But I am determined to look for him.)

What has changed since then

After coming back to Austria, I organised a few charity bazars until I started getting into photography. Now I'm right in the middle of preparations for the fifth photo marathon in Berndorf, a town in Lower Austria - not too far from Vienna. I keep coming back to this women's refuge, Rodyna, as often as I can to help those people.

If you'd like to help me help them, feel free to make your donation in our PalPal money pool. Of course you can also send me Steem or SBD with the memo "Rodyna". Every small contribution counts!

A visit to the women's refuge in 2015. The ladies dressed in red and white are the ones who keep this place up and running - and even redecorate it with their own private money. To me, they are heroines.