In Chernihiv region, a woman lives alone in the forest without a pension.

In the village, Hanna Voytok has not received a pension for 65 years due to insufficient work experience. She does not want to go to the district center to arrange a passport with a photo, which is necessary to receive social assistance.

«We cannot process this social assistance for her at the pension fund. She refuses to go to Koryukivka to obtain a passport. She has no relatives, lives alone, and avoids communication,» explained the village head, Serhiy Pomazok.

Hanna Voytok works in her garden, takes care of her goats, and cultivates rented land. Despite the remote location, she has been struggling for a decent existence as the number of pensioners in the country continues to rise.

Life in the village

There are only 30 houses in the village, and Hanna Voytok is the only resident there. To reach the store, she needs to walk for several hours, making her way through fields and forests. Finally, thanks to the assistance of journalists, she was able to obtain a passport and receive support.

Many countries are under great pressure on their pension systems due to an aging population. For example, in Denmark, the retirement age has been set to 70 years to ensure the sustainability of pension provision - the highest rate in Europe.

The Ukrainian pension system needs improvement as many people, especially in rural areas, face difficulties in accessing social assistance due to various circumstances. The help of journalists in this case turned out to be very important for Hanna Voytok, who thus received the opportunity to support herself in old age.