31-year-old Kateryna lives in the village of Storchove. During her first meeting with the mobile team from the NGO Girls, she seemed wary. The woman was not ready for contact and admitted that she felt threatened by everyone, even the psychologist and social worker. Kateryna seemed exhausted and indifferent to communication.
However, Kateryna gradually opened up with each meeting with the team. She increasingly engaged with the group members and specialists. There were four meetings in total, and each time her voice sounded more confident and she became more noticeable. In a safe atmosphere, the woman began to share her pain and story of loneliness.
This loneliness had accompanied Kateryna since her childhood. Her parents died in an accident, and she was raised by her grandmother. Since then, the woman had lived with the feeling that she had no right to exist, as if she were odd in this world.
Working with a psychologist using art techniques and neurographics helped Kateryna feel herself and believe in her own strength. She began building personal boundaries, finding sources of support, and restoring her inner resources. The support came from people who had always been there, but Kateryna had found it difficult to notice them because she had lived her whole life as if her eyes were closed.
The woman's main achievement was overcoming her fear of people. At the last meeting, her voice sounded confident, her hands no longer trembled, and her gaze was open. The greatest victory was that Kateryna got a job, worked in a team, and boldly interacted with others.
“I felt I had the right to live! I felt I had the right to be with these people!” Kateryna shared as she was saying goodbye to our team. Her example shows that it is possible to find strength, open up to the world, and start living a real life even after many years of loneliness.
Assistance is provided within the framework of the project "Provision of protection support for vulnerable IDPs, returnees, and host community women, children and families in North, East and South Ukraine (Priority 2)'' implemented by the NGO Girls with the support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund in Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts.
