Starting Over: Community Support Helps Refugees Transition to Employment

 In Bern, in the settlement of Fierfeld, where Ukrainian families who were forced to leave their homeland due to the war live, Vitalina works, who brings warmth, care, and a little joy to Ukrainian children every day. She works at Kinderhütti, a space where children can play, create, and simply be children.

The Association “Ukraine Switzerland Bern” and its head Olena Krylova helped her find this job. From the first days of the full-scale war, the Association became an important center of support for Ukrainians in Switzerland. It helps not only with psychosocial or legal support, but also actively promotes the employment of refugees, organizes events, creates a space for community and education for children. It is thanks to this support that this woman was able not only to work, but also to develop in a new country.

“At first it was a job at 20%, a few hours a week. But it quickly became clear that the children needed not just an observer, but a person who would put his soul into every day with them. Now I work four times a week, and every day is different from the previous one,” says Vitalina.

The Kinderhütti has a different atmosphere than a school or kindergarten. There is no clear schedule or approved program. The main thing is safety, psychological comfort and space for play. Everything else is the initiative of those who work with the children.

“My partner and I try to divide the children by age, because there can be babies and teenagers in the same space. The youngest ones sculpt, draw, and carve. The older ones make bracelets, read, and help. Sometimes we have 20 children at a time.”

Nature walks are especially popular. Children enjoy going to the bike track or grilling area, where they can play outdoor games, hang on a bungee, collect branches, build treehouses from branches, or just lie in the grass. The walks usually end with a picnic, which the children look forward to.

Creativity is another key to a child's heart. Modeling, applique, coloring, constructing with improvised materials - all this brings children a sense of stability and joy. "When we baked cookies, it was a holiday. Children want to feel that life goes on."

Despite the inspiration, this work is not easy. But the main reward is the smiles of the children who gradually adapt, begin to trust and open up.

“I don’t have a teaching diploma, although I have two higher educations in economics, obtained in Ukraine. But this job gave me not only experience, but also an important step forward — I received an Arbeitszeugnis, which opens up opportunities to work with children in other institutions.”

Vitalina’s story is the story of many Ukrainian women who, finding themselves abroad in search of safety, find the strength not only to survive, but also to give love to others. Starting with a small workload is not a defeat, but an opportunity. This approach allows you to adapt to new conditions gradually, avoid burnout, understand the local characteristics of work and gradually increase the pace. The main thing is to take the first step.