Meet Ivanka, the woman transforming Bucha's bullet holes into things of beauty
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Bucha, a suburb of Ukraine's capital Kyiv, made global headlines in April when Russian troops left the town they had occupied for over a month. Ukrainian authorities returned to find scenes of horror – bodies in the streets, burnt buildings and what they say is evidence of torture and war crimes. But one woman is trying to help the residents of Bucha forget this trauma, by painting over the bullet holes that serve as reminders of the massacre.
Ivanka Siolkowsky, a Canadian volunteer of Ukrainian descent, headed to Poland to help refugees fleeing Ukraine soon after the war broke out. She made her way to Bucha where she met a man who inspired her to help beautify peoples' homes in order to bring some joy back to the town.
In this week's episode of The Observers, she told us about her project and how it has helped reveal the resilience of the Ukrainian people.