Meeting up with inspiring people
Visiting the women's refuge
Everyone at Rodyna was excited to host a guest from Austria. They don't get visitors every day - and if they do, it's the kind that is one of their clients' ex-partners. They usually don't bring gifts except for already consumed alcohol that keeps them aggressive from inside or the occasional threats to murder them. Sometimes they even bring both - or at least a whole bunch of nasty words. I decided to bring along toys and sweets for the children, some clothes, and, of course, some money was also on the way. One of the contestants of the photo marathon, decided to round up the sum to 500 Euros. And my friend, who had introduced me to the women's refuge ten years ago, asked me to bring another 350 Euros.
After a very warm welcome by Viktoria, who runs the institution, her colleague Maria, and her son Volodya, we sat down to talk a bit so we were all up to date both with our private lives and with the events at Rodyna.
An empty medicine chest and a broken bed
The money came at the perfeclty right time. Viktoria and Maria told me that the medicine chest was already nearly empty. They didn't even have enough money for Aspirin or similar, not overly expensive, yet fairly necessary, drugs, as they are fairly expensive. In particularly bad months, Viktoria and Maria donate part of their own salary to keep everything going - if they get paid, which is not always the case. Apart from medicine, they also had other purposes for the money in mind: they were in desperate need of a new bed, as one of the old ones had broken down for good, while a pregnant client was lying in it. Both the mother and her child are okay; the bed, however, has to be replaced.
The place also needs some refurbishing. "We will paint the walls ourselves", explained Viktoria. A couple of years ago, she and Maria had already bought paint, brushes, and curtains and redecorated the centre in their free time and with their private money. The result was astonishing to say the least. They have a fantastic sense for beautiful decoration. The reason why they do it by themselves is, however, heart-breaking: the state fails to give them the money they need to keep the centre up and running. Sometimes there is some money, sometimes there is none at all. This is particularly true for the salaries of these two strong and idealistic women. I truly admire them for their strength and determination. And their determination and idealism is contagious. I always feel motivated and determined to do more after a visit.
When teenagers become mothers
The girls told me about their clients. One of them is now in her early twenties and has four children. She never learned to read and write properly. "She knows the letters but she cannot assemble them to words", Maria explained. They have now arranged for her to attend a course where she will learn to do precisely that. For her it will be the first step of a long journey that will hopefully lead to a better future for her and her children.
A message from Viktoria, Maria, and myself
Viktoria, Maria would like to greet and thank everyone, who has contributed to their work. Here's a short an concise list of everyone we'd like to thank for their support:
- all volunteers, who help me with the photo marathon
- everyone who has participated in the photo marathon, and/or donated money or time
- all sponsors
- everyone who has to put up with me while I'm organising the photo marathon and still never lose it - I know it's hard to get me out to grab a beer or watch a film. Thanks for your patience - it means a lot to me that we're still friends / a family!
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