Halyna lived in Bucha with her husband, children, and mother until February 2022. They had their own house, a normal life, work, and worries.
However, the full-scale invasion changed everything. The city's occupation was a real test: survival in danger, filtration, fear for the children. They escaped only by a miracle as they were running across a field to a mined bridge, jumping into a car with strangers under fire. “We did not know who was driving us - our friends or enemies,” Halyna recalls. Twenty kilometers under fire, two hours in the dark, but they survived. That's how Halyna, her children, and her mother ended up in Rivne, with the only desire to survive and start over.
Her relationship with her husband had collapsed during the occupation, so Halyna had to solve problems on her own in the new city. The family could not return to Bucha, because their house was destroyed and the property belonged to Halyna's brother, who was abroad and did not try to help them. Without this, they could not receive any compensation or state aid, and were left homeless. So they had to survive in Rivne. Finding a place to live was difficult, but she managed to rent a small, almost unfurnished apartment. Halyna worked online to pay the rent and utility bills, but she didn't have enough money to afford even the basic necessities. The children slept on cots, and when one of them broke, it became a real problem.
Halyna found out about the NGO Girls’ activity and its children's spaces through social media. One day she and her children came to the “Girls. Children” club, where they started attending group classes, socializing, and later were able to adapt to the new environment and learn to interact with their peers. The space's case manager also found out the details of the family's problems and decided to help. It all started with a request on social media. At first, they planned to find at least one bed for the girl, but Halyna's story impressed people, and donations suddenly poured in. More money was raised than expected. Thanks to this opportunity, two new beds and mattresses were purchased for the children. This initiative attracted the attention of a local furniture company, which decided to support the family and donated a chest of drawers and a desk. The only thing left to do was to find transport to deliver the furniture to their home. Help came unexpectedly. A military man who was on vacation, as well as a trainer from a Rivne community who had conducted several free first aid classes for children at the “Girls. Children” club, along with another one, responded to the request on social media and brought everything themselves.
“When I was told that they had bought us beds and a mattress, and that the furniture manufacturer had also donated a chest of drawers and a desk, I couldn't believe it,” says Halyna. She was most impressed by the fact that complete strangers wanted to help, having learned about their problem.
Now, the family maintains constant contact with the case manager and receives additional assistance through social initiatives, such as winter clothes, hygiene kits, and other necessities.
The assistance not only met the family’s basic needs, but also gave them a sense of security and support. Halyna feels that she is not alone in her struggle for a new life. “We found ourselves in a dead end with no possibility for a better existence. My brother left us without property rights and without the right to get assistance as IDPs. We survived as best we could, but at some point we simply did not know what to do next,” says Halyna. At this difficult moment, support came from the NGO Girls and the project “Support to Children and Adolescents Affected by the War in Ukraine”, which is implemented with the support of Kindernothilfe, as well as people who responded and helped. One day Halyna wrote us a message, “Thank you! You make us feel human.”
This story is another proof that good deeds can change lives. A little help can give a person the strength to move forward, and belief in a miracle begins with someone willing to lend a helping hand.
