Lack of employment and access to the markets in the areas affected by the conflict leads to dependence of the local populations on the humanitarian assistance

Published: Nov 14, 2017 Reading time: 3 minutes
Lack of employment and access to the markets in the areas affected by the conflict leads to dependence of the local populations on the humanitarian assistance
© Foto: People in Need

The main issue for the local population of the working age in Triokhizbenka is the lack of employment. The conflict has caused a disconnection between the village from Luhansk city and some other locations that are now considered as NGCA (Non-Government Controlled Areas,) where people used to work before the conflict. Those locations had previously served as a market for local populations who were engaged in agricultural activities, which are the most common activities in this village, to sell their products.   

Larisa used to work as a nurse in the hospital in Lugansk city before the armed conflict started in the east of Ukraine. It took me only 40 minutes to go to Luhansk by regular bus in the morning and back after work. I loved my job and was happy in the new house with my new husband (we have been together since 2012) and our children. Sergey’s daughter and my son were living with us at that time. Everything has changed since the war came to our place. I am unemployed, and my husband has also lost his job. Our children have left the village and we have no possibility to visit them as we simply have no money to pay for the tickets,” tells Larisa. No employment opportunities and limited access to markets leads to people’s dependency on humanitarian assistance and self-production for own consumption.

Now Larisa is 47 and she is unemployed. There is no hospital in the village and there is no other job opportunities for her. Her husband, Sergey, is 41 and he faces similar employment issues. He used to work as a constructor, but recently he works as a school guard with the minimum salary, which is not enough to cover the most basic needs. Larisa has asthma and needs to buy medications as she is spending a lot of her time outside in the garden with high concentration of allergens and sometimes she has asthmatic attacks. Nevertheless, she continues to work in the garden.

We need to eat something because the salary of my husband who is the guard at the village school is very low. It is not enough even to pay utilities and buy medications. Planting tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, garlic and a lot of other vegetables and collecting fruits we can feed ourselves and to sell a little bit or to exchange with our neighbors. We also conserve fruit and vegetables to prepare ourselves to coming winter,” said Larisa.

Besides gardening, Larisa is also knits. It prevents the family from buying some clothes. It helps her to relax and allows her to distance from her problems and worries. “I like knitting, especially in the evenings or in winter time. However, during winter evenings we are not allowed to switch on the light in the house as we are very close to the front line and therefore I am limited in time for this activity. Still I can do it with the candle light. The products of my knitting could be exchanged for some other goods or food with the neighbors of our village,” adds Larisa.

“All the people in our neighborhood receiving humanitarian assistance really appreciate this support but all we really need is peace in our village and the possibility to come back to our normal life as before. We are strong and capable to work ourselves,” she explains.

Larisa’s family was supported by Action Against Hunger in the framework of ACCESS consortium (People in Need, Action Contre La Faim, Médecins du Monde, and ACTED in partnership with IMPACT Initiatives) project and funded by the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO). Her family received Multi-Purpose Cash assistance to cover basic needs in food, hygiene as well as utilities payment, medications and other costs.


Autor: A. Budagovska

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