Solomia* and her parents lived in Kherson. At the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, their city became beyond the government’s control. A few months into the war, in April 2022, Solomia’s* parents decided that she and her mother, Daryna*, should leave the city as there was a risk of hostilities in the town.
The family found a carrier who took Daryna*, Solomiya*, and the girl’s grandmother to Odesa (a Ukraine government-controlled area).
The carrier warned the family that they could take only a tiny amount of luggage, as it should fit in the trunk of a passenger car along with the bags of two more families traveling in the exact vehicle. In case of unforeseen situations, Daryna* was supposed to be able to carry the luggage in her hands.
So, Daryna* and her husband packed two bags with only an additional set of clothes. Among the things they didn’t intend to take but put in the bag were Barbie dolls for their daughter because she asked her parents to take them with her.
Reaching Odesa, the family took an evacuation train to West Ukraine, where they settled in a collective center. Solomia started attending classes at a Child-Friendly Space (Space Friendly for children, youth, and families). In the center, with the help of a facilitator, she does a lot of crafts, draws, and socializes.
Solomia* loves to draw and dreams of becoming an artist when she grows up and, of course, to return home to Kherson. Now, the family cannot go back because the hostiles there intensified. And it has been almost two years since the girl could only see her father online.
*Names have been changed to protect identity.