After war killed his mother, brother steps up to care for his siblings
After the tragic death of his mother, Viacheslav from Ukraine’s Donetsk region took guardianship of his younger brothers and sisters.
- Українська
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In March 2022, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, five children lost their mother when two shells exploded nearby. Viacheslav, Maryna’s eldest son, was with her on the street when the fatal blast happened. That day changed his life forever.
Viacheslav had a choice – to let his brothers and sisters go to a children’s home or fight for the right to be their official guardian. Two courts refused: too young, no steady income. But the youngster did not give up – and today, now aged 21, he is raising his four siblings.
"We've already been through a lot,” Viacheslav says. “And I don't want anything to happen to the children.”
After periods in Drohobych, Dnipro and Kyiv, the siblings have now settled in Uzhhorod. Nineteen-year-old Danylo is studying programming in Kyiv. Fourteen-year-old Nicole loves gymnastics, 13-year-old Tymur goes to the gym and 11-year-old Olivia, who has just finished primary school, plays piano, ballet and volleyball.
On the street, Viacheslav almost always holds one of his sisters by the hand. Every day, he cooks, gets the children ready for school and clubs, checks their homework and puts them to bed. At the same time, he works two jobs while studying at KROK Business School.
"I don't manage everything. What I want most right now is simply to sleep. The children help me with household tasks and support me emotionally, but resources aren't limitless"
When they go to summer camps, it'll get a bit easier. I'll at least take a day for myself – wake up and not have to rush anywhere. But not for long: I need to work. Autumn isn't far off, the children grow quickly. I'll need to buy them new clothes," he says.
“It really delights me to see how they're growing up, changing. And I'm not complaining, because I love them very much and chose how to live my life myself. However hard it might be, I know I went through all these difficulties not to give up now. We're together – and that's the main thing."
Olivia, the youngest sibling, is full of life and happiness.
"We love our brother because he's always equal with us”
Laughing, the children reveal how Viacheslav, although he pretends to be strict, is actually very soft – he can not stay angry for long.
"I just want them to smile. And I'll do everything I can to make that happen."
Being a parent is one of the most important — and most challenging — roles in the world, especially during a war. Children who grow up in a caring environment with their parents are set up for a more successful future.
