ADRA has aided affected families in Ukraine thanks to your support. One of these families is a husband, wife, and their son. Valentina tells her story of having to leave their home and life behind as the fighting reaches their small town of Grodivka, near the Donetsk region.  

Valentina and her family had bought a home with plans to raise their family. They loved their home, but unfortunately, in 2014, the fighting reached their village. In 2022, evacuations began, and they had nowhere to go. Valentina and her son found their way to ADRA’s shelters in Lviv, Ukraine. Her husband has stayed behind on the frontlines, and they are trying to make their way to Germany.  

Since then, Valentina and her son have been in Lviv for two months, longer than most other residents. They are waiting for travel documents, a process delayed by the occupation in the Donetsk region, where Valentina’s passport and documents are.  

Valentina is grateful for the opportunity to stay in a place with provided meals, shelter, and clean spaces. She mentions that other families from other regions are staying in smaller facilities, where infections and sickness run through the children. Here, she feels safe and is very thankful for the chance to work with a psychologist to help her cope with stress and for her son to have quiet spaces to study and work on his online studies.  

She leaves a message, to the organizations, to her fellow countrymen, and the women of Ukraine. “I want to wish everyone peace, that all the horrors will end soon. That when we end this, we will all survive. We are grateful for the people who have helped as much as they can, for organizations like you, we are thankful for people like you. Without you, it would be difficult for people to find places to go. There are many people that have left their homes – homes that are just shells now. For all the women, I want you to wait for your husbands that are on the front lines. Do not lose hope, pray. We will all pray, and everything will be okay, and Ukraine will be okay.” (Translated) 

She is grateful to ADRA and all humanitarian organizations for their help and assistance in providing documentation and aid for displaced people. Still standing in occupied territory, she often thinks about her home and when she will return. Your support for ADRA has made it easier for Valentina to hold on to hope.