DIGITAL DIVIDE & ME: IRYNA’S STORY

This is Iryna’s digital divide story.

Thanks to your donations to our Digital Divide fundraising campaign, Success4All donated a new laptop to Iryna, a Ukrainian mother to two boys, Daniel aged 4 and Slav aged 7.

When the war in Ukraine broke out, Iryna, like many mothers in Ukraine, had no choice but to pack what she could and leave her country and family in search of safety for her kids.

“I understand that I can do my best with what is in my hands. In my hands is to keep them safe and give them some good education.”

The torment of leaving behind loved ones and being on her own not knowing when she will see them again, is a pain that Iryna still bears today. “Our hearts are breaking. My husband is there, he joined the forces, my brothers, because they can’t cross the border, and my grandmother because she’s too old.”

In late June 2022, Iryna and her kids arrived in the North East where they were welcomed by her host family and her former classmate.

Having her classmate nearby has been crucial to Iryna.

“We try to support each other. We live far away from each other but it’s support for us. When we meet, the kids enjoy talking to each other. It’s support for them too.”

Iryna mentions the distance between her and her classmate being far, that’s because since first arriving, Iryna and her children had to reallocate several times. During their first 6 months, they were with their host family. Then, they lived in temporary accommodation for three weeks and at the time we met with the family they had just relocated again.

“It’s too many changes,” explained Iryna.

Throughout all the relocations and all changes that were happening in their lives, the kids were still in school, and as you can imagine, it wasn’t easy for them to settle in.

“The first two months Daniel was crying and then Slav was crying after. The kids can’t explain their feelings because of the language but the school was very nice. Now the children are used to the teachers and the teachers are used to the kids.”

Since starting school, the boys have been using Iryna’s mobile phone to complete their homework, communicate with family back in Ukraine and take part in an online Ukrainian school.

“I usually use my mobile phone as a screen and it’s very bad for his eyes. We use the phone for homework. It’s bad and it’s small letters and we need a big screen for him to complete his homework and to have the opportunity to study in a Ukrainian school, because we should not forget Ukrainian, how we can write and how we can read.”

As Iryna just highlighted, access to a digital device and the internet doesn’t just affect a child’s education, it also affects their social skills and sense of identity and belonging.

Thanks to the internet Iryna and her kids have been able to stay in touch with her classmate’s kids and the wider newly arrived Ukrainian community, who have played a significant role in helping her family adjust to life in the North East.

As our conversation draws to a close, Iryna says, “We want to tell you we are very grateful and thank you for your support.”