Shelter for Ukrainians who have lost their homes

Dear friends,

We would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude for your support!

The war continues. Although the number of people forced to flee their homes has decreased, evacuation trains continue to save Ukrainians from bombs, shelling of their houses, hospitals, schools and other civilian facilities every day.

In addition to the constant shelling, the russians have also caused an environmental disaster in southern Ukraine by blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station. Thousands of people lost everything in a matter of hours, as the water from the reservoir flooded and demolished entire towns and villages after the dam was blown up! People witnessed their belongings, houses, cars and even pets being swallowed up by the terrible flood. Now there is an epidemic and an environmental disaster in this region, so the residents are forced to flee from it as well.

We take in all the victims, provide them with shelter, food, clothing, personal care products, clean bedding and comfortable beds. For some reason, the thought of a warm bed always comes to your mind when you think of safety, stability, peace and comfort. This is the thing that mentally sets you up for rest and tranquility.  And only those people who feel safe can rest. It's like a kind of island where everything stops and  all the bad things disappear when you close your eyes. Ukrainians even have a phrase that is very symbolic for all of us: I believe in our Armed Forces so much that I went to bed in my pajamas.

Because when it's scary, when bombs are flying over your head, when water is flooding your house, people don't sleep in their beds. They sit or nap half-sitting in the corridors of their homes or in the subway, they shudder in terror on mattresses or chairs in basements and shelters, they just stay somewhere on the floor and wait tiredly, hugging each other, when they can stop being afraid and go home to that warm, cozy bed.

With your donations, we have purchased 10 brand new beds with functional drawers where our residents can put their belongings and have their own corner to store the remnants of their quiet life.

We would like to share the story of a large family that has been in different shelters since the beginning of the war, living in different conditions, and it was extremely important for them to get that peace and comfort for all their children.

The K. family – Yevheniia K, (mother), Denys D. (father), Illia K. (son, 10 y.o.), twins Rostyslav and Yaroslav K. (12 y.o.), granny – Halyna V. (all names shown do not belong to the real people described in this report). Before the war they lived in the city of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk District, Donetsk Region. 

The first place of residence in Lviv for the K. family was School 82, then a house at the church on Antonovycha Street, and later the family rented an apartment on Pasichna Street. Some time later, the owner of the apartment decided to sell the property and forced the family to move out.

The K. family has been living in “Your Support” Shelter since April 21, 2023.

"It was still quiet there on the first day of the war. But everyone was informed that children were not going to school, and adults were also asked to stay home and not go to work. A couple of days later, hell broke loose... Bombs were flying over our city day and night. We constantly lived in panic with the feeling that something was about to fall on our house. Children were staying in the hallway, eating and sleeping there. Adults slept only in turns so that they could react quickly in case of emergency. One night, enemy aircraft flew overhead... It was incredibly scary for the adults, not to mention the children. Illia started to have convulsions, his legs failed him because of the stress. Rostyslav kept saying, "Let's get out of here, I can't take it anymore." We packed up literally overnight and went to the train station, where an evacuation train was waiting for us. It was April 1, 2022. We went to Lviv. And on April 2, a bomb fell on the railroad tracks in Sloviansk, and if we had delayed even a little bit, it would have been incredibly difficult to get out of the city," says Yevheniia.

Over more than a year of the shelter's existence, we have met many such families and heard many stories. We are doing our best to constantly improve the living conditions of our residents: we make repairs, replace windows, buy new furniture, comfortable beds and mattresses. We make those islands of safety where they can really relax, breathe out and decide what to do next, for all those who just wanted to sleep peacefully every night in their warm and comfortable bed…

Since February 24, 2022, within the framework of the project "Help Ukraine! Stop the War", CF "Your Support" has been providing assistance to Ukrainians affected by the war. This includes over 3700 internally displaced persons who have received temporary housing and assistance in our Shelter in Lviv.

Every small and large donation you make allows us to accomplish our primary task of enabling people who have survived shelling, cold basements, lack of water and food to feel protected and recover in comfort and care.

Links:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ7L72c3hLE&list=PLRR9lbTdq4rluN1VdtUAIQ4g1hAc946zv