The signs of devastation are all around when you arrive in Irpin, near Kyiv.
The city saw some of the heaviest fighting when Russia tried to close in on the Ukrainian capital at the beginning of the war.
But it soon becomes clear that residents are busy putting the pieces back together. A CNN team bumped into resident Olexander, who showed pictures of what his apartment building looked like eight months ago, with nearly every single window blown out. “Everything is operating now,” he said, including heating.
In this suburb, it’s a race against winter as temperatures start to drop and rolling blackouts continue.
Resident Tetyana said she spent 10 days hiding in her basement during the occupation. Somehow, her phone connection was working when her friend called to say Russian tanks were just minutes away from her building. It was time to evacuate.
“It was a miracle that Mykhailyna managed to reach us,” she said, referring to the call. “I took my parents. We had a car. And that was the only chance to leave.”
Tetyana’s apartment was badly damaged, but she, too, is proud that it has since been repaired, allowing her to move back in.
At the UNICEF site, a different kind of rebuilding is taking place. Aid workers are focused on helping kids and parents navigate unspeakable trauma.
Psychologist Ksenia Lebedev said the lingering trauma manifests in all kinds of ways, from speech impairment to self-harm.
Healing comes through play, arts and crafts and therapy.
Kateryna Chyzh, the volunteer animator, said she notices children gradually come out of their shells and connecting again.
And even the aid workers themselves find it healing. “It usually inspires me, too,” Kateryna said, “I experienced the occupation in Bucha, so now in this environment, I am more relaxed and I like it very much.”
