Two of Natalia’s teddy bear creations.

By Varvara Zhluktenko

We met Natalia for the first time in late spring this year in the south Ukrainian town of Zatoka on the shores of the Black Sea, where she was staying with her two children, Alisa (5) and Alex (7). Natalia’s husband had started working in Odesa at the time.

It had been almost a year since the family left war-ravaged Luhansk.

“When the blasts started, I tried to tell the children that somebody was beating the carpet, but later it became impossible to lie to them,” Natalia says as she recalls the first days of clashes between government forces and armed groups in Luhansk, which was later taken over by anti-government elements.

Natalia’s life of a happy mother and housewife was thrown into chaos. Fearing for their safety, the family decided to leave as soon as possible. They chose Odesa because of its mild coastal climate, which they hoped would be good for the health of their children who were born in an industrial zone of the Donbas.

“We wanted our children to experience the summer and the sea to help them recover from all the stress they had in Luhansk,” Natalia says.

Once in Odesa, the family was able to find a good kindergarten and a primary school with good teachers. The children also seemed to become healthier.

However, several months on, the children have still not fully adapted to their new surroundings.

“They keep asking when we will go back home. They still feel disoriented, asking which furniture is ours and which is not. We’ve brought their favourite toys along, but they still lack that feel of home.”

Natalia, a teacher and an economist, started to make toys when she was on maternity leave with her second child. At the beginning, her toys were very simple, basically made out of socks. Later on, her models became more sophisticated with stuffed animals turning into little pieces of art which allowed her to participate in international competitions and sell her teddy bears and other plush collectors’ toys online.

When the family arrived in Odesa, Natalia went to the State Employment Service to look for job opportunities. “The jobs available were at a bakery and a canning factory but this is physically hard work and the salary is only around UAH 1,700 (US$77). I do understand that we don’t have the luxury of choice but I still have to stay with my children,” she says.

On average, it takes her about a week to make one teddy bear but because of everything the family had been through, Natalia was not able to work efficiently.

Then one day she found out, through social media, about the International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s livelihood support programme funded by the European Union.

She felt inspired and participated in a self-employment training conducted in Odesa by IOM’s partner NGO.

“A lot of useful practical information was provided at the training, starting from tips on drafting a CV and advice on how to develop a business idea and write a business plan. Many people do not know where to start from and it is much easier when you learn how to develop a marketing strategy.”

With a micro-grant provided by the EU-IOM programme, Natalia plans to get a new sewing machine, a laptop to model the toys and work on her website, and a tripod to be able to take good quality pictures of her teddies.

She also needs fur and details like eyes to produce more toys. With the dramatic devaluation of the Ukrainian currency, the prices of these materials for Natalia’s business have skyrocketed.

Natalia’s family is slowly recovering but as with many IDP families, accommodation remains a pressing issue. Her story shows resilience amidst war and displacement and the need to support displaced persons to acquire skills to ensure long-term livelihoods.

According to current planning and with funding available from all donor sources, IOM Ukraine will train a total of 2,200 IDPs, returnees and members of host communities and provide 1,668 persons with livelihood and vocational training grants between US$500 and US$2,500 within the next 6 months.

Varvara Zhluktenko is Communications and Outreach Officer at IOM Ukraine