Free from danger — and fear

It’s scary every time you start working. You never know how much danger there is. You see one tripwire — but how many more are there?

Fear is our helper here. You’re scared, but focused, attentive. Step by step, ready for anything. You want to help people be rid of the danger, of the fear. The land here in the east, in Kharkiv region, is sown in squares — with anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines. But we work so people can sow wheat, sunflowers. So they can plant flowers.

In World War II everything was metal — it’s rusted away by now. But today it’s plastic: harder to detect, and it stays for ages. Still, we work. You can’t rush. Step by step.

Sometimes locals come and ask, “Could you check our garden too? There’s something suspicious there.” You check, clear it — so people can touch the land again without fear, but with love. With care for a new harvest, a new flower, a new route for a walk — in silence and without worry.