Ukrainians: 'We Cannot Pause Our Lives'
2022-07-03
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1Outside the Ukrainian village of Yahidne are the remains of a small school.
2The building was partly destroyed in the early weeks of the Russian invasion.
3The school's abandoned classrooms are unlikely to hold students again anytime soon.
4It is just one of the many buildings in Yahidne that have been damaged during the war.
5But Yahidne and other villages are slowly rebuilding.
6Russian troops retreated from the northern Chernihiv area a few months ago.
7People are repairing homes; the sound of building tools fills the air.
8Volunteers from all over Ukraine and other countries are coming to help because there is so much to do before winter begins.
9Among the workers are a copywriter and a cameraman who have been repairing the roofs of apartment buildings in front of the school.
10Denys Ovcharenko and Denys Huschyk came from the capital, Kyiv.
11They joined a volunteer building organization called Dobrobat.
12The men and 22 other volunteers help the villagers return to their homes as soon as possible.
13No one in the village plans to rebuild the school yet.
14Villagers prefer not to talk about the place at all.
15That is because Russian forces used the school as a base of operations.
16Most of Yahidne's nearly 400 people spent a month in the school's basement, or underground area.
17They were held captive to be used as human shields to protect against an attack by the Ukrainian army.
18Russian troops only rarely permitted the villagers to climb upstairs and go outside.
19Ten people died in the dark, crowded basement. Survivors blame the lack of fresh air.
20Russian troops left the village at the end of March.
21The Dobrobat group plans to repair the roofs of 21 houses in the coming weeks.
22The volunteers include teachers, athletes and programmers.
23About 80 percent of them have no experience in construction.
24Yahidne is just one of the villages in northern Ukraine to have suffered from Russia's aggression.
25And Dobrobat is just one of the groups taking action.
26A father and son from the Czech Republic decided to spend their yearly family trip in Ukraine this year.
27Michal and Daniel Kahle see each other for only a few weeks each summer.
28The son, Daniel, studies in the United States.
29"We wanted to do something meaningful instead of just being tourists," he said.
30That is how they came to the town of Makariv in the Kyiv area.
31Many buildings there were destroyed or damaged in the first weeks of the war.
32The father and son joined the volunteer movement Building Ukraine Together.
33Since 2014, the group has helped restore damaged buildings in eastern Ukraine.
34For several days, Michal, Daniel and young people from different parts of Ukraine worked to rebuild the Makariv fire department.
35Tetyana Symkovych is the volunteer group's coordinator in Makariv.
36She said, "It's a long game. We cannot pause our lives, sit at home and wait for the war to end."
37I'm Dan Friedell.
1Outside the Ukrainian village of Yahidne are the remains of a small school. The building was partly destroyed in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. 2The school's abandoned classrooms are unlikely to hold students again anytime soon. It is just one of the many buildings in Yahidne that have been damaged during the war. 3But Yahidne and other villages are slowly rebuilding. Russian troops retreated from the northern Chernihiv area a few months ago. People are repairing homes; the sound of building tools fills the air. 4Volunteers from all over Ukraine and other countries are coming to help because there is so much to do before winter begins. 5Among the workers are a copywriter and a cameraman who have been repairing the roofs of apartment buildings in front of the school. 6Denys Ovcharenko and Denys Huschyk came from the capital, Kyiv. They joined a volunteer building organization called Dobrobat. 7The men and 22 other volunteers help the villagers return to their homes as soon as possible. 8No one in the village plans to rebuild the school yet. Villagers prefer not to talk about the place at all. That is because Russian forces used the school as a base of operations. 9Most of Yahidne's nearly 400 people spent a month in the school's basement, or underground area. They were held captive to be used as human shields to protect against an attack by the Ukrainian army. 10Russian troops only rarely permitted the villagers to climb upstairs and go outside. Ten people died in the dark, crowded basement. Survivors blame the lack of fresh air. 11Russian troops left the village at the end of March. 12The Dobrobat group plans to repair the roofs of 21 houses in the coming weeks. The volunteers include teachers, athletes and programmers. About 80 percent of them have no experience in construction. 13Yahidne is just one of the villages in northern Ukraine to have suffered from Russia's aggression. And Dobrobat is just one of the groups taking action. 14A father and son from the Czech Republic decided to spend their yearly family trip in Ukraine this year. Michal and Daniel Kahle see each other for only a few weeks each summer. The son, Daniel, studies in the United States. 15"We wanted to do something meaningful instead of just being tourists," he said. 16That is how they came to the town of Makariv in the Kyiv area. Many buildings there were destroyed or damaged in the first weeks of the war. 17The father and son joined the volunteer movement Building Ukraine Together. Since 2014, the group has helped restore damaged buildings in eastern Ukraine. For several days, Michal, Daniel and young people from different parts of Ukraine worked to rebuild the Makariv fire department. 18Tetyana Symkovych is the volunteer group's coordinator in Makariv. She said, "It's a long game. We cannot pause our lives, sit at home and wait for the war to end." 19I'm Dan Friedell. 20Hanna Arhirova reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. 21________________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23roof - n. the cover of a building 24apartment - n. a room or set of rooms rented as a home 25captive - adj. taken and held as or as if a prisoner of war 26shield - n. something or someone that protects or defends 27athlete - n. a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina 28construction - n. the process, art, or manner of building something 29tourist - n. a person who travels for pleasure