Refugee Fates Olena Churina With Her Nine Children, Luhansk Oblast
Olena Churina together with five of her children inside the "Hope" shelter in Kharkiv. When the conflict began in April 2014, she had hoped it wouldnt be long before the conflict came to an end. But after five months of waiting, she decided to leave.
The family owned a three-room home in the village along with some land for farming, a garden and two cows. For the last year in the shelter, though, the family of 10 has been crammed into a space measuring just 24 square meters (260 square feet).
In the camp, Churina's children take part in various activities led by volunteers, including English lessons, games, visits to the circus and other outings. "Here, it is much easier for the children to develop, because rural life is rural life. Here, they can have a lot of fun," she says.
The shelter compound is secured with a fence and equipped with round-the-clock surveillance cameras so Churina doesn't have to worry about her children walking to the playground alone.
Churinas family occupies one of the apartment containers, which is equipped with one bathroom, a tiny kitchen and a single room; at night, the 10-person family squeezes into seven bunk beds.
