Olha is a Ukrainian psychologist working with INTERSOS. Her home was destroyed last year during a bombing raid, but despite the many personal hardships she faces, Olha has never stopped providing support to those who -like her- are displaced and suffering from the traumas of war.
A story by Davide Maria De Luca for INTERSOS
On the night of August 18, 2025, an airstrike struck the apartment building where Olha Tkachova, an INTERSOS psychologist and humanitarian worker, lived. Five explosions from different directions devastated the structure, claiming the lives of a neighboring family: a mother, a father, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, and a 16-year-old boy. Olha witnessed the destruction with her own eyes, yet she managed to reach safety, bringing only her daughter, their cat, and a few essential belongings.
Olha has worked with INTERSOS for years, supporting those affected by the war through art therapy and psychological counseling, with a particular focus on the elderly and refugees. Her projects, carried out with the support of the European Union, aim to restore dignity, safety, and moments of creativity to those who have endured profound trauma.
By a bitter irony of fate, Olha now finds herself in the same position as those she assists: homeless, her daily life shattered, and forced to start over from scratch. After the attack, she and her daughter had to leave their apartment, finding refuge with relatives while searching for a new safe space.
Yet, somehow, incredibly, Olha continues her work for others.
“Today we were in Mala Danylivka, a small village in the Kharkiv district,” she says upon returning from a mission. “As is often the case in small towns, most of the residents are elderly—lonely people who need support and a sense of community. I have already held many workshops with them: drawing mandalas, clay modeling, collage, and various art therapy activities. Sometimes we watch cartoons together; for adults, it’s a way to reclaim a bit of the lightheartedness they had as children—something that is desperately missing today, in a time of war and isolation.”
(Archive Photo)