Nina Aseieva: “I walk through life with optimism!”

28 Листопада 2023 by Olga Zhurbenko

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Nina is a native Rivne resident who was born to visually impaired parents and has had severe visual impairments since childhood. The first tragedy of her life occurred at the age of 5, when her father left the family, and all the care of raising and educating the child fell upon the shoulders of her mother with visual impairments. At the age of 7, the girl left home and went to a specialized school for blind children in Lviv, where she demonstrated her initiative, determination, and active mobility since the first months of studies. She studied well and revealed leadership qualities. Very quickly, her teachers noticed her activity and started to involve her in various hobby clubs: draughts, singing, playing musical instruments, and athletics. As early as being a 3rd grade student, Nina went to a draughts-64 competition among blind children in Lithuania, where she won the 3rd prize and received her first award, even though she was the youngest participant. The foundation for her sports activities was laid by her physical training instructor. Teachers continued to involve Nina in various activities. In 1991, Ukraine obtains the hard-fought independence from the Soviet Union, and Nina, a 4th grade student, and her team stand on a podium under the blue and yellow flag in Budapest, where they won bronze in an athletics competition.

The Ukrainians gained independence and the dream for a better future, but those changes also brought a number of problems. Funding of sports competitions was stopped, and the doors were closed for further development of Nina’s sports abilities.

Everyone felt the hard times during the initial years of Ukraine’s independence, and Nina’s family was no exception. Her mother was trying as much as possible to provide education, all the necessary things, and treatment for her daughter. She managed to find doctors who agreed to do surgery on the child and give her a little vision so that Nina could see the path under her feet.

Even today, teachers and caretakers at Lviv School No.100 still remember this restless child. Whatever was taking place at the school, good or bad, Nina was there! She was a formal and informal leader among her peers and not only them. And the lack of sight did not affect her life movement at all; quite the opposite, it might have even stimulated her. Having finished high school with excellent grades, she enters Volyn State Pedagogical University and obtains the profession of a teacher, psychologist, and psychology lecturer, while simultaneously joining the youth social movement. First, she became a board member of Volyn regional organization of the Ukrainian Society of the Blind and united blind young people thanks to her efforts, and then she supported the birth of a new public organization called ‘Parostok.’

Of course, every person meets obstacles and unlucky streaks on their path, and there exists envy as well, but Nina simply tries to ignore them. She has to be strong because she must help her mother, who raised her after her father left them. And that particular experience most likely tempered her will and taught her to rely on herself only and learn to understand things.

Nina’s personal life is also going well. When you are optimistic and ignore the negativity around you, you move the world, not adapt to it. She met her future husband in Crimea. She got married and gave birth to a son. Their family life is like a well-fitted puzzle. They are friendly and cheerful. Their small apartment in Yevpatoria city used to host a lot of guests. Sometimes it seemed to them that the bathroom was the only place without anybody to sleep in. Until 2014, the family had lived in 2 cities – Rivne and Yevpatoria.

However, the war destroys everything, leaving no dreams or opportunities. When Russians occupied Crimea in 2014, the Aseiev family moved to Rivne without hesitation, leaving everything behind. Those days of waiting for quick liberation of Crimea turned into weeks, months, and years. They are forced to rebuild their everyday life again and buy the things they had lost, because everything had been left behind in the warm Crimea. They plunged into work, trying to find themselves in that way and provide their families with everything needed. It can be said that they started life from scratch. At that time, Nina gets actively involved in the public organization “The Generation of Successful Action” in Rivne. Together with her colleagues, they submit and implement winning projects proposals. They help people and children with the loss of vision, regardless of age or disability. Nina and her friends created the 3D printing option to help the blind and people with visual impairments. They successfully develop and produce a variety of educational materials, board games, relief maps and diagrams on the innovative equipment, and then print all these by 3D printers.  Working together as a team, they publish books in Braille, deliver lessons of tolerance and other educational events, and contribute to protecting the rights of people with disabilities in the region. In parallel to that, Nina works at the Klevan Special School for Children with Visual Impairments and dedicates herself all to the children.

Not forgetting her promising sports childhood, Nina started to do powerlifting. Within just the first year of training, she achieved high standards and attended international competitions as a member of the Ukrainian national team. Currently, she is an Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine in powerlifting and bench press among athletes with visual impairments. She is a multiple champion and record holder of Ukraine and the world. World and European champion (2018-2022). Champion of the World Games of the Blind (2023). Holder of 15 world records.

This woman is driven by her willpower and love for people, her never-ending desire to help and be always the first, and the energy of the Ukrainian land. Nina Aseieva has had severe visual impairments since birth. However, her strong will and great inner motivation have helped her to overcome all the difficulties in her life and reach great heights.

“THE INVINCIBLE LADY” is a series of articles about Ukrainian women and girls that motivate, fascinate, and inspire.

This initiative is part of the project “Empowerment of Women and Girls with Disabilities by Strengthening their Involvement and Leadership in Communities,” which is being implemented by the National Assembly of People with Disabilities of Ukraine with the support from the UN Women Ukraine and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund.

About the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)

The UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund is a unified global financial mechanism designed exclusively to support the participation of women in peace and security building and humanitarian responses. Governed by a range of civil society, governments, and the UN actors, WPHF is a multi-partner trust fund that mobilizes urgently needed funding for local women-led organizations and works together with women on the frontlines to build lasting peace. WPHF has provided funding and supported capacity building for more than 500 local civil society organizations working with the “Women, Peace, and Security” agenda and implementing humanitarian activities in 28 crisis-affected countries.

This publication has been prepared with the financial support from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), but the views and contents expressed herein do not necessarily represent the official endorsement or recognition of the United Nations.