“In Ukraine, wherever we are – we are at home”: the story of a Roma couple from Zaporizhzhia who help others overcome the challenges of war and discrimination

In the context of the war, the Roma community in Ukraine is fighting a double battle: for survival and against stereotypes. Forced displacement, discrimination, and economic instability are just some of the difficulties faced by Roma today. Nevertheless, there are people in the communities who not only overcome these challenges themselves, but also help others, creating opportunities for integration and development.

ZMINA spoke to Oleksii Padchenko and Larysa Domchenko, a couple who have lived in Zaporizhzhia all their lives and are actively working to protect the rights of Roma. They founded the NGO Lacho Drom, which helps Roma to overcome social barriers, learn professions and gradually build a new life.

Read the interview to find out how Roma find the strength to live on in the difficult realities of war, why it is important to break down the walls of discrimination that divide society, and how the Roma community, despite all the difficulties, helps Ukraine recover and become stronger.

Please tell us about the current situation of the Roma community in Zaporizhzhia. How has the life of the Roma in the city changed since the start of the full-scale war?

Oleksii: Before the full-scale invasion, many Roma families lived in Zaporizhzhia. They were integrated families with children who studied at schools and universities. Unfortunately, now most of them have been forced to leave the city.

Some families moved to the West of Ukraine, while others moved abroad – to Europe, Canada or America. In 2022, new Roma families also arrived in Zaporizhzhia, but many of them later decided to move to Europe.

We actively helped these people. In particular, we prepared and issued passports and restored lost documents, including for children. Many people lost their documents due to fires or the destruction of their homes in the occupied territories.

Larysa Domchenko, along with other mediators, made a great contribution to this work. They helped to restore old documents, produce new ones and assisted IDPs in their further movements. For example, we organised the transportation of large families and people with disabilities to the Zaporizhzhia-Lviv train. They were escorted to the train and met in Lviv by volunteers.

We provided families with small children with humanitarian kits: baby food, nappies, and everything they needed for the journey. In 2023 and the first half of 2024, this assistance was especially important, as it was then that Roma families left Zaporizhzhia in droves.

Perhaps this outflow was due to the fact that the state stopped payments for IDPs, which, although small – 2-3 thousand hryvnias – helped cover the cost of renting a house. This, combined with other factors, forced people to look for better living conditions outside the city.

Do you know how many Roma came from the occupied territories at the beginning of the full-scale war? Was it tens, hundreds or thousands of families?

Oleksii: People left gradually, depending on how the occupation of the Ukrainian territories progressed. At first it was Kherson region, then Melitopol district, and the city of Melitopol itself. Later, when missiles and shells started to reach other settlements, such as Stepnohirsk, people also left en masse.

As for the number, it is difficult to give exact figures, but it is definitely not tens or hundreds. We are talking about several thousand people who moved to Zaporizhzhia. When a family decided to move, they usually took everyone with them: the elderly, people with disabilities, and small children.

I remember a case when we met a woman who had just given birth. Her baby was only three or four days old and they had already moved to Zaporizhzhia. We helped this family find a house and quickly register for financial assistance.

Unfortunately, such situations were not uncommon. Families with small children and in difficult circumstances left their homes in droves, seeking safety in Zaporizhzhia.

How was assistance provided to Roma families who were forced to leave their homes because of the war? What were the main challenges you faced when helping IDPs?

Larysa: When the hostilities reached Melitopol, the situation was critical. A lot of people moved towards Zaporizhzhia, but the issue of settlement remained extremely difficult. We understood that there was a shortage of housing in the country, but we also faced the other side of the problem.

We found Roma families even in the forest belts – without tents, without any shelter. They stretched a rope between the branches of trees, covered it with cellophane to protect themselves from the rain, and lived there with their children. It is simply impossible to describe such conditions without emotion.

Often these people were trapped in circumstances they could not resolve. Even when they arrived in Zaporizhzhia, they could not find a place to stay. It was especially difficult for Roma families: when volunteers called to accommodate Ukrainian families, there were places, but when they were looking for a shelter for Roma, there were suddenly no places.

Together with volunteers, we tried to change this situation. We looked for housing, paid for utilities, and provided temporary shelter. It’s still hard for me to think about it. 

It was difficult to accommodate Roma families in sheltered housing, which was then in kindergartens or schools. They did not want to take them, you know, because of stereotypes. I can’t blame them, because everyone was in a panic because of the war, no one knew where to place anyone or how to allocate places. But for people who came with children and sat in the rain or wind without warm clothes, it was a painful experience that will stay with them forever.

Volunteers also said that during the settlement they tried to treat everyone equally, regardless of whether it was just a Ukrainian family or a Roma family. However, even among the IDPs, there were those who did not want to live next to Roma families.

For me, this became a big question: why did people who had experienced the horrors of war themselves not want to accept Roma families who had gone through the same horrors? Why did these prejudices arise? War is not the time when stereotypes should be defining.

And what about humanitarian aid? Did the Roma receive it?

Larysa: There was a lot of humanitarian aid, and people helped, but it was often not enough for large families. Imagine when you have nine children in a family, all small, and you need medicines, nappies, and many other things for adults. It was incredibly difficult to survive.

We are very grateful to our donors and partners. From the very first days, on 25 or 26 February, the Fund Chiricli immediately started providing support. Despite our limited resources, we managed to provide people with humanitarian kits, medicines and other vital items.

For the Roma, who had lost almost everything, this help was a breath of hope. They saw that someone was ready to support them in their time of need. This is very important, because many of them came in a state of complete despair – some people thought their lives were over. Families with children, parents are in a panic, they don’t know what to do next. Even the first communication and the slightest help gave them faith that the situation could still change for the better.

In 2022 and 2023, there were cases of crimes against Roma families in the temporarily occupied regions. Do you know anything about cases of abuse of Roma families in the occupied territories or during the evacuation from there? 

Oleksii: Yes, there were a lot of such cases. Men were often put at gunpoint, threatened with execution, to force their families to hand over all their savings. There is a stereotype that all Roma have mountains of gold jewellery or some kind of “banks of gold”. Because of this, the occupiers believed that they could easily make money and demanded that Roma families give away everything of value – money, jewellery, anything they could find.

I remember one story when the occupiers demonstratively humiliated a father in front of his family. They took him out of the house, put him under a machine gun and forced his children and wife to watch. The family, of course, gave everything they had, but the process was so cruel and humiliating that it left a deep trauma.

The occupiers used such methods not only for profit, but also to break people’s spirit, frighten them and show their “power”.

Larysa: We collected such stories, and some of them were included in our documentary. Not all the details of these stories were told on camera: people are afraid, afraid for themselves and their families. One of the women told her story, and it was impossible to listen to it without crying. At one of the checkpoints in Vasylivka, her son, a little boy who was only three years old, was almost taken away from her. The occupiers, probably Muslims, picked on her appearance, demanded that she wear a hijab: she has a dark skin colour, so they thought she was also a Muslim. One of them snatched the child from her arms and went away. The woman begged them to give her son back and agreed to their demands only to get the child back.

This is just one of many horrific stories. People experienced enormous stress and humiliation, but at the same time they were afraid to speak out in public. Now Roma families are facing new challenges – it is difficult for them to settle in new places, find housing, provide for their families, because all this requires money.

As a result of the hostilities, many Roma families lost their homes: some of them remained in the occupied territories, and some were damaged and destroyed. What can be done about it? Has anyone helped to restore these houses?

Oleksii:  Unfortunately, the consequences of the hostilities are very tragic for Roma families. Many houses were destroyed: some completely, when even the roof was gone, and others partially, for example, when windows or doors were smashed. The Fund Chiricli helped with partial reconstruction of the houses – replacing double-glazed windows and making small repairs to the roofs.

Many Roma have nowhere to return to because their homes in the temporarily occupied territory have been completely destroyed. Often, there were no documents for these houses, because Roma bought them without official registration – just with a receipt from the previous owner. This is now causing many problems: even if people return, they will not be able to receive compensation or restore their rights to these houses.

This situation does not apply only to Roma: some residents of small villages also do not have documents for their homes. Often, the houses were built by grandparents or parents, and no one has officially registered them.

Larysa: But people, despite all the difficulties, remain optimistic. They say: “We will rebuild everything with our own hands, our neighbours will help us, and the main thing is to return home”. The most important thing now is that the war ends.

The issue of housing reconstruction will come up again and again in the future, so it is important to find a solution for those who do not have legal proof of ownership other than the testimony of neighbours or other people. 

Oleksii: In addition to the destruction, Russian shelling causes even more grief – I’m talking about families who have lost loved ones. This situation is much more complicated. One of the most painful cases is that of a five-year-old boy who was left all alone after losing his parents and grandparents. This child was saved by a miracle and spent a long time in intensive care. Roma activists organised a fundraiser, and in a few days they managed to raise the necessary amount for his treatment.

The child is now continuing treatment in a regular ward, and we are looking for opportunities to support him. The boy will not be left alone – distant relatives have taken him under their care so that he can grow up in a family environment, not in an orphanage. We will try to continue to help this family to provide them with the necessary living conditions.

In your opinion, what needs of IDPs, including Roma, remain unresolved?

Oleksii: In fact, the problems of internally displaced persons affect both Roma families and all other citizens equally. Unfortunately, most of those families who were forced to move because of the war still do not receive proper assistance. Social housing is not provided, and the situation remains unchanged. People who have found temporary shelters have mostly found them thanks to NGOs, not the state.

It seems that the state has actually withdrawn from this problem. Many people are forced to risk their lives by returning to the occupied territories because they simply have no other choice. The situation is further complicated by the fact that if IDPs receive a minimum income, they are cut off from receiving benefits. And then these funds are sorely lacking.

To rent a two-room apartment without renovation in Zaporizhzhia today, you need to pay 6-8 thousand hryvnias, and this does not include utilities. So, to cover at least the basic housing costs, both parents need to receive assistance. And rising food prices further complicate the situation, leaving little or no money for food.

People try to find temporary jobs, but this is not a long-term solution. All this only partially masks a problem that remains unsolved on a global scale.

We understand that the priority now is to win the war, but we must not forget about the needs of IDPs. These people desperately need help because they have no other sources of support.

As you are directly involved in helping IDP Roma find employment, I would like to know your opinion on the following: what specific measures could the state introduce to address the problems we have discussed so far? How can existing vocational training programmes be expanded to help IDPs integrate more quickly into new communities?

Oleksii: The solution to this problem requires synergy between the Ukrainian state and the European Union. Joint efforts should be made to create support mechanisms not only for Roma IDPs, but for all IDPs. For example, businesses that employ IDPs could receive certain incentives, such as tax breaks or other “bonuses” that would encourage employers to actively help these families. There is already some compensation for employing IDPs.

In addition to this, various foundations are already implementing fast-track vocational training programmes for IDPs. These initiatives need to be expanded and scaled up to give people the opportunity to obtain professions that are in demand and integrate into communities in their new places of residence. If we leave people in their current situation, we may face a situation in the future when Roma families will be forced to seek means of survival, including through begging or other extreme methods.

This can cause a negative reaction in society, leading to increased tension, discrimination or even, God forbid, violence. That is why it is important to offer IDPs various projects and provide them with opportunities for integration. It is about acquiring professions that meet the needs of the region where people now live, as well as the interest of entrepreneurs in employing these people.

For example, temporary tax holidays can be provided for IDPs who register as individual entrepreneurs. This will allow people to integrate, start earning money and rebuild their lives. Such initiatives are critical to addressing the immediate problems and ensuring a stable future for IDPs.

Larysa: Our Lacho Drom centre has implemented retraining projects where people have acquired quick professions, and many have managed to find jobs. Some people work in hairdressing, girls are engaged in the beauty industry, and even take clients at home.

Life has become a little easier compared to the beginning of the war. People have some stability, if you can even call it that in this difficult time. But you know what they say? “We will find a way out of any situation as long as we are in Ukraine. Here, wherever we are – we are at home”.

They cannot even imagine what would happen if they stayed in the territories occupied by Russia. They have many fears, including the possibility of being occupied again. They say: “We will leave if this happens. We will not be able to live among those who have hurt people, who have brought losses, especially among children”. People are ready to look for housing and work again, but only in Ukraine, on their own land.