“When we arrived in Lithuania, everything felt foreign. The real difficulty and the greatest challenge was and still is to allow myself to live again. Not just to exist – but to truly live. After such stress, that’s not something you can take for granted,” says Liliia, who came to Lithuania from Ukraine three years ago.
Although she had been working with a Lithuanian company before the war began, upon arriving here she had to start everything from scratch – not only in a new country, but also in a completely different field.
„I started working in Lithuania as a PA on film sets and also as an extra. Later I switched to events field (assistant) and after started working as a decorator’s assistant. And just recently, together with a team, we rented a workshop and started creating decorations for events. Our OL MAKERS is a small but very personal start,” Lillia smiles.
Liliia recalls that the first few months in Lithuania were marked by waiting: waiting for war to end, waiting for the chance to return. Yet at the same time, life had to go on in the here and now – finding work, learning how the system works, adapting.
The language barrier was another invisible but deeply limiting obstacle. Liliia understands quite a lot, but speaking is still difficult. The language courses were short, and it was hard to attend them regularly while working.
“Institutions, volunteers helped us a lot. Acquaintances who reached out. And later – other kind-hearted people who were there when we needed them. That’s what matters most”,- she adds.
Liliia says that today she spends most of her time working or looking for work. Because of that, there’s little time left for a meaningful social life. So even after three years, she still doesn’t feel like a part of the community.
Liliia’s story is a powerful reminder that when starting life over, the people around us and their support make all the difference. Help someone begin again in Lithuania. Become part of their journey https://riseproject.lt/remejai.
The RISE project is a European initiative aimed at expanding and strengthening community sponsorship programs in Belgium, Italy, and Lithuania. By fostering stronger local community involvement, we help refugees integrate more easily and build a new life. The RISE project is funded by the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (2021–2027).