Locations‘Harvesting hope’
“My earlier life no longer exists,” says 40-year-old Natalia Steshyna.
Before the full-scale invasion, she worked as a manager and ran her own business. Today, her workplace looks completely different. She spends her days in the fields near Snihurivka in Mykolaiv Oblast, driving heavy agricultural machinery.
The change did not happen overnight. After the war reached her community, Natalia, like many others, had to rethink her future. It was then that she joined a vocational training programme by the United Nations Development Programme funded by Denmark, where she learned how to operate agricultural machinery. It was the skill that opened the door to her current work.
“I like this work,” she says. “When you enjoy what you do, it becomes easier.”
The first time she got behind the wheel of a tractor, it was both frightening and exciting. The machines are massive, the responsibility is high, and the work requires constant focus. But over time, she gained confidence.
Today, the challenge is not the machinery; it is the environment.
Snihurivka was under Russian occupation back in 2022, and the surrounding fields remain dangerous since landmines and unexploded ordnance are still present.
“Not far from where we work, a tractor hit an explosive,” Natalia recalls. “We understand the risks. You can’t always see what’s in the ground.”
Despite the threat to her own life, she continues.
“There is a shortage of men,” Natalia says. “They are defending us and we have to help in any way we can.”
Like many women in her community, Natalia stepped into a role that she didn't have before the war. She completed her training together with a close friend, and today they work side by side in the fields.
But even as she adapts to this new reality, part of her life remains elsewhere.
Her two children, aged 18 and 22, are currently abroad. They left because of the war and are still afraid to return. Natalia says the moments they spend together now are especially meaningful.
“When we see each other, it’s a happy time,” she says.
For Natalia, this work is not just about earning a living. It is about keeping things going in a place that has changed completely.
“Someone has to do this job,” she says. “So we are here.”
