Marharyta Horbatenko runs the For Nikopol's Children charity, which, after the full-scale Russian invasion, turned from a center for helping children with cancer into a broad-purpose humanitarian aid center for those affected by the war.
"We took care of a 7-year-old girl whose legs were blown off by an explosion. We raised money for her prostheses and treatment. Now she is in Poland for rehabilitation," Marharyta explains.
After February 24, 2022, the humanitarian demands placed upon charitable organizations began exceeding their available resources by a factor of ten. Marharyta and her colleagues faced this challenge, as well. For more than a year now, they have been helping both civilians and soldiers with medicines, food, clothing, generators, walkie-talkies, tourniquets, and more.
The fact that Nikopol is only 6 kilometers away from Russian-occupied Enerhodar, home to the well-known Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, adds to the difficulties Marharyta faces. The Russians shell Nikopol almost every day, targeting residential buildings, businesses, and infrastructure.
According to Horbatenko, Nikopol suffers mainly from artillery shelling rather than missile attacks, so there are not as many casualties as there could be.
According to official data, over the first year of the full-scale war, 14 people were killed and 94 wounded as a result of enemy attacks in Nikopol. Before February 24, 2022, the city was home to about 100,000 people, but now only 30,000 remain.
Due to its proximity to Russian-occupied territory, there are very few children left in Nikopol. Day care centers in the city are closed, and schools operate only in a remote format.
It is interesting that many residents of Nikopol have not moved abroad or to western Ukraine, but instead just to nearby villages that are not shelled as often. Now, these villages are almost as lively as the city was. Shops and beauty salons are opening there, and many people are walking on the streets. People travel to the city and back when they need to(for example, to receive humanitarian aid).
In addition to shelling the city, the Russians also put psychological pressure on the residents of Nikopol, spreading rumors that they plan to cross the Dnipro river and capture the city, Marharyta says. However, Nikopolans trust their mayor, who has never left Nikopol for a day and always informs and supports his city's people.
Despite the war, all the factories in Nikopol are operating. Some plants are even hiring new employees, as many of their employees with children have left the city.
Marharyta and other volunteers say that before the full-scale war, they had no idea that strangers could be so united and close, especially those who stayed in the city and cooperated to solve common problems. This inspires them to continue supporting local residents, internally displaced persons, and the Ukrainian military. With this solidarity and faith that better days will come, it is impossible to lose.
This material was prepared with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation.
