Kateryna Ovsyannykova from Severodonetsk
It started when I was 6 years old. I left my home with my toy. I lost my kindergarten and my favorite playground. I was left without a home. Without the opportunity to study. Air raids replaced school bells. I am so tired of these alarms. I spent the whole first grade at the computer. And I really want to go to school! To sit at my desk and talk to my classmates. My childhood was without school, I don't know how to pack a backpack, because the war took away this opportunity. I never dreamed of being displaced! We had our own apartment! My family had many dreams and opportunities, but the war destroyed our family's dreams. The war destroyed this house! I have only one dream, to wake up in the morning and hear the longed-for phrase: The war in Ukraine is over! Do you know what I want most in the world right now? I want peace above all else! I want silence, peace in my sleep! And I want to enjoy this world! I want nightingales to sing in the spring! I want our native language to unite us all, and I want beautiful flowers to bloom everywhere! My land to be free of worries and troubles! And all the people were happy! Glory to Ukraine! I love my country, because Ukraine is unbreakable, colorful, free, happy, noble, freedom-loving, unshakable, independent!
Help This FamilyIryna Kopytova from Krasnohorivka
We congratulate you! Arina and I came from the town of Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk region. The war started there in 2014. We first moved to the town of Kurakhove, which is not far from Krasnohorivka, and rented a house there. Then on February 24, 2022, the war came again. There was a very terrible shelling, we left the city at night. Then we went to Dnipro, where we got IDP certificates. We lived in a church for three days. Then we found housing, my husband stayed in our city, we live together. The child was not enrolled in kindergarten, and I could not go to work. We lived there for half a year and there was another shelling, we had to move to Kyiv region. Our friends live here, they helped us rent an apartment. At first we lived with them. Now the child goes to the 1st grade, a week offline, a week online. We need to buy a tablet or laptop, but we have nothing. We receive money from the state, but it all goes to pay rent and utilities. I wash the entrances to have money for food and hygiene. Our neighbors give us things and help us by bringing dishes. My child is at school half a day, so I can't go to work full time. The child is small, we are the only two people here. We would be happy to have any help! Please help us!
Help This FamilyOlena Horobchenko from Kupyansk
Good afternoon, we are from Kupyansk district of Kharkiv region. On the first day we found ourselves under occupation. We had tanks pass by our village, about 30, I don't know how many kilometers away, we could hear them very loudly. There were battles every day. Rockets and jets and helicopters were flying through our village. It was very scary, we hardly slept at night. We were constantly running to the cellar, dressed. There was no electricity, no gas, no water. God help us on the ground! We survived by helping each other in the village, all these six months under occupation. Thank God, everyone is alive and well. After the liberation on September 8, the bombing started, and it was very heavy near us. Our school, cultural club, people's roofs were bombed, thank God, everyone is alive and well! It was very scary. The children were psychologically traumatized, they even wanted to die, that is, there was no point in life, they wanted their lives to end as soon as possible... It's very scary for a mom! From the first day, we ran out of income, because we were engaged in agriculture and our entire income was something insignificant at this time, not enough to live on. In November, I was forced to leave for Kharkiv with my children, and my husband stayed at the household. Our children are 13 and 15 years old, and I try to work on myself to have more positive emotions. I believe that everything will be fine in Ukraine, it will flourish in spite of everything. I wish everyone love in their hearts, peace, kindness and mutual understanding!
Help This FamilyOksana Dobrolevska from Kherson
After February 24, I lost my job, and we didn't fully understand that it was serious and how long it would take, and how our lives would change. The most frightening moment was when rockets and mines were flying over my house... You hear it all, you realize that it's coming, but you don't realize where it will land and what the consequences will be. Before the war, I worked as the main manager of a clothing store, I had a stable job and a high salary, which was enough for everything and even left me with money to spare. I don't receive any help from foundations or the state, because I don't fall into their categories. Therefore, we do not receive any humanitarian or financial assistance. I was able to explain to my children that we are at war and that it will end soon, so my children are more or less calm about it. They understand how to behave properly. I have two children, a 9-year-old son, his name is Igor, and a 7-year-old daughter, her name is Sofia. Now we live in a rented apartment because ours was destroyed. But I need more help, probably medical help, because my son needs to visit the dentist and to buy a gadget for school, because I have only one phone, and this year I will have two schoolchildren. My daughter goes to the 1st grade, my son goes to the 3rd grade. I want Ukraine to be as prosperous as before and confidently move towards a European future. The whole world needs to hear and see that Russia is indeed an aggressor that just invaded our territory because it wanted to, killing our people, children, destroying homes and schools. Perhaps, the biggest fear I have is that the city I live in will be occupied by Russia again.
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