Valentin and Elena
Will Have A House
Thanks to Dell Loy Hansen
They will stay on their land while they rebuild their lives
Their Family Story
Valentin and Elena did not have their own basement in the house, so on the 4th day of the war and heavy bombing of Irpin, the family moved to their daughter’s house, which had a basement. Because the daughter has 5 small children, she and her husband left Irpin at the end of February. Valentin and Elena were not going to leave Irpin; they thought everything would end soon. They had a dog they needed to feed. So they lived in the basement. On March 8, Valentin, as always, went to his house to feed the dog. He remembers how he ran down the street, and everything around was on fire, and the closer he came to his house, the more he understood that their house was no exception. He saw how the house destroyed by shells was burning. It was a joy to see that his beloved dog was alive.
On March 10, a volunteer ran to their house (their daughter’s house, where they were hiding in the basement) and said they had 10 minutes to get their documents and leave. “You need to run; the situation worsenes every hour.” – he said. The family got together, took their dog and drove with this volunteer towards the bridge to the exit from Irpin. The bridge was destroyed. There were a lot of people, a lot of soldiers, children, and old people. Everything around was exploding. Horror and fear were tangible. In all this panic, they lost the dog. Elena can’t hold back her tears as she talks about her lost pet. She still believes that he is alive and continues to look for him.
The family miraculously got out of Irpin. They made it to Kyiv, then went on an evacuation train to Lviv, Warsaw, and Vilnius. They returned in January. They now live in their daughter’s house. The family told tragic stories of losses… The husband of Elena’s sister was shot point-blank by the Russians in the street. A nephew with his family and children were shot in the car when they were leaving Irpin… Relatives, friends… they lost many. And they lost their home. For a family, this is a terrible pain. They say that their house was built at the beginning of the 20th century and even survived the 2nd World War! And this war left only a pile of burnt bricks.
For $27,000, we can build a home for the Valentin and Elena
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