“Many feel guilty about leaving.”
When the war reached Kyiv in the spring of 2022, Iryna Lysohorko quickly packed the essentials and left the city with her two children. Her husband stayed behind — he now serves on the front line. Iryna fled to Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, where she is trying to create a sense of safety for her family — and for other women going through the same thing.
As a psychologist, she meets people every day who carry fear, grief, and guilt. She knows exactly what it feels like.
“It was hard for us in the beginning. The children had to start a new preschool and school, and everything had to be arranged from scratch. It was important for me to admit that I couldn’t handle everything on my own — that I could ask for help and trust others. When I did that, things got easier. I realized I wasn’t alone,” says Iryna.
Iryna herself received support from people she dared to reach out to — including through D.O.M. 48.24, IM’s partner organization that supports women and families who have fled. Today, she works to pass that support on. Many who seek her help are women with children whose husbands are either in occupied areas or fighting at the front. The situation causes enormous stress — and often guilt for having left.
“Now I can say that we’ve adjusted and found our place. The children go to school and after-school activities. Of course, I miss our home, but when the air raid sirens sound at night, I know we’re safer here,” she says.
“And when a woman comes to me who has been forced to flee, I know one thing for sure: she will get through this.”
Iryna has seen trust in psychologists and therapists grow in Ukraine since the war began. Many people who have been forced to flee now reach out for support — not only adults, but teenagers as well.
“I also work with young people from the age of 16. It’s so important that they get to talk — that someone listens. To keep going, you need to know that you are not alone.”
Text and photo: Milena Vitrovska
By: Malin Kihlström