Victor
Living in a war is terrifying, and going through it alone is incredibly challenging. Victor knows this firsthand, as he has to hear with daily explosions in his crumbling house. Ever since his wife died, his once cozy home has gradually transformed into a place that barely resembles the welcoming place he used to return…
Olga
A bomb exploded 50 meters away from Olga. The blast wave threw her into the hay barn where she was going to tend her cow. One piece of shrapnel grazed her head without causing serious injury. Later, the woman found several other large pieces of shrapnel nearby. It was a miracle that Olga remained alive…
Anna and her Family
As a young girl, Anna studied at Kyiv University but always dreamed of living in her hometown of Kramatorsk. She shares, “I knew I would want to have my family in my hometown.” So, after I returned home, I started doing what I love the most – working as a manicurist. It was there that…
Story of Sasha
Olga, 32, and her two daughters, Sasha (almost 3) and Nastia (17), lived in Mykolayiv, Ukraine. Like most families, they woke up to the war early on February 24, 2022. Olga, her daughters, her husband, and her parents saw the horrors of the war on the first day, as Mykolayiv basically became the frontlines. Russian…
Story of Anastasia and Emilia
Yulia and her two daughters, 6-year-old Anastasia and 2-year-old Emilia, fled the war from the town of Boryspil just outside of Kyiv. Yulia’s family experienced all the horrors of war in the very first hours of the Russian terrorists’ attack. Russia’s first missiles were aimed at military bases and airports. The town of Boryspil, where…
Yulia from Lezhyne, Ukraine
Yulia is 32 and has cerebral palsy. She has lived in her home village of Lezhyne her entire life and has never been anywhere else. When Yulia was born, her mother, Natalia, was devastated and tried to get help for her daughter, but after learning there is no cure, she accepted Yulia’s disability and did…
Viktoria—Gift of Hope in Moldova
“My name is Oksana. I have had a disability since I was a child. I have two children, Viktoria, 5, and Vladislav, 12. We are from Mykolayiv and came to Moldova on March 20. So, we’ve been here for nine months. We’ve been living in the village of Ryshkova for the last six months. We…
Victor from Borodyanka
Borodyanka is one of the cities that the Russian troops came to “save” from peaceful lives, homes, loved ones, and life itself. Instead, the Russians left behind massive destruction and unbearable pain. Victor was one of those who suffered from that destruction. The most amazing part is that he and his entire family (five people) were able…
Anna from Kharkiv
“My mom and I are refugees from Kharkiv. I had an apartment there and lived with my dog Chaki. My mom lived in another area of the city. I am 57. I worked in a store, looked after my mom, and enjoyed my life. “On February 24, I woke up to the sounds of explosions…
Deborah—Gift of Hope in Poland
As part of the Gift of Hope children’s Christmas gift distribution in Poland, our Mission Eurasia Caring Hands team in Warsaw went to the Osso Hotel to help 600 orphans from Ukraine celebrate Christmas. When the war started, they had all been evacuated to Poland from the city of Odesa, towns in the Odesa region,…