Center Managers:

Yanush Olha, 51, and Yanush Ivan, 52, lived in Hola Prystan, Kherson Oblast, with their son, Dmytro, 32.

At the start of the war, they were working in Poland. However, in December 2022, they returned to Ukraine when their son volunteered to serve on the front lines, leaving behind his wife and two small children—the youngest just a year old.

Olha and Ivan spent their entire lives working in agriculture—Ivan as a tractor operator and Olha as a shop assistant.

“Our city remains under occupation and was completely flooded after the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Plant. We have nowhere to return. The war has torn many families apart, including ours—our children have separated. Forced to find both work and a place to live, we are incredibly grateful that fate led us to To Ukraine With Love, where we not only found jobs but also a family, friends, and a supportive community. We are truly thankful for everything.”

Valentyna, 75, a retired textile factory technologist and workshop manager, was born and raised in Bakhmut. She lived with her son and cared for her parents. By the time the full-scale war began, only her bedridden mother remained with her—her father had passed, and her son had moved to another city.

As explosions and constant shelling devastated buildings and factories, staying in their apartment became impossible. Plaster crumbled, windows shattered, but Valentyna couldn’t evacuate since her mother was immobile. They endured the bombardment until June 30, 2022, when volunteers evacuated them to Rivne, where they stayed in a church until October. Due to the lack of heating, they were moved to a rehabilitation center in Rivne Oblast, where conditions were poor, but they had no other choice.

On December 19, 2023, Valentyna’s mother passed away. She remained at the center until September 10, 2024, constantly searching for better housing. Only through To Ukraine With Love did she finally find a place with dignified conditions.

Her home in Bakhmut was destroyed. Her son now lives in occupied Kherson, with little to no contact.

Hanna Voronyak, 73, a retired hoist operator, lived in Myrnohrad her entire life. She shared an apartment with her husband, while their children lived in Kyiv and Pokrovsk.

When the full-scale invasion began, Hanna and her bedridden husband remained at home as explosions and panic spread. With no gas, electricity, or safe escape route, they endured the shelling until volunteers arrived, carried her husband downstairs, and evacuated them to Dnipro. They stayed in a church for three days before Hanna found a temporary room, but as her husband’s condition worsened, the landlord began drinking and forced them out.

In August 2022, with the front line shifting, they returned home. Her husband was hospitalized in Dnipro, where he later passed away. In January 2023, her son and his family came to visit, but on January 6, a missile struck their home, destroying it. They stayed with Hanna until eventually fleeing abroad.

By March 2024, heavy shelling resumed, hitting schools and homes. A local pastor helped evacuate Hanna and 14 others to Makariv, where they arrived with almost nothing. They were placed in a modular settlement with poor conditions but had no other option. Hanna kept searching for stable housing, and eventually, To Ukraine With Love provided her with a safe place.

Her apartment is now partially destroyed.

Lyudmyla, 85, and Viktor, 85, lived in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, since 1959. Lyudmyla dedicated her life to teaching French and German in a technical school, a regular school, and an orphanage, while Viktor worked as a mining engineer. After retirement, they focused on gardening.

When the full-scale war began, they chose to stay in their apartment, unwilling to leave their home. However, after eight months without electricity or gas and under relentless shelling, local authorities urged them to evacuate. At times, they had to cook over an open fire. Eventually, they left with an evacuation convoy.

In Dnipro, they were placed on a train to Kyiv, where their granddaughter helped them rent an apartment. But when she later moved abroad, they were left alone. After 1.5 years, the apartment was put up for sale, and they had nowhere to go.

They applied for a care facility, but their first placement was in poor conditions. Only when their application reached To Ukraine With Love did they find a safe and dignified place to live, a true lifeline in their time of need.

Zoya, 70, and Vitalii, 70, were lifelong residents of Chasiv Yar. Zoya worked in the supply department of a construction company, while Vitalii was employed at a concrete plant. They owned both a house and an apartment.

On February 24, 2022, when the full-scale war began, Vitalii was in a hospital in Bakhmut recovering from a stroke. The hospital, overwhelmed with wounded soldiers, urged Zoya to take him home. She took a taxi, passing long columns of people evacuating. At the hospital, seeing the constant influx of injured, she realized the true horror of what was unfolding.

She brought Vitalii home, and they set up a shelter in their basement. For two weeks, they endured the bombings without electricity, water, or gas. As the attacks intensified, volunteers insisted they evacuate. In March, under heavy shelling, they fled—first to Kramatorsk, then to Kyiv.

In Kyiv, they rented a small room, feeling lost and alone. The conditions were difficult, but they couldn’t afford anything better. Only through To Ukraine With Love did they finally find a safe and dignified place to live.

Serhiy, 76, a retired miner and widower, lived in Makiivka since 1966. He dedicated his life to working in the mines and was awarded for his service.

On February 4, 2022, his wife passed away from cancer. Just two weeks later, on February 20, Serhiy suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in Makiivka. Four days later, while still in the hospital, he learned that the war had begun. The hospital quickly filled with wounded, explosions shook the windows, and fear spread.

Serhiy has three daughters. One of them set out to rescue him, but by then, entering the city was impossible. A friend helped transport him to safety, and with no other option, they evacuated through Russia.

After arriving in Kyiv, Serhiy received medical care before traveling with his daughter and grandson to Spain, where his eldest daughter lived. He remained there until 2023, but after a severe leg injury that left him hospitalized for six months, his daughter had to bring him back to Kyiv to care for him.

The current condition of his apartment in Makiivka is unknown.

Viktor, 77, a retired teacher and former school director, had lived in Severodonetsk since 1974. After his wife passed away and his children moved away, he remained alone in his apartment.

On February 24, 2022, at 4 a.m., three rockets struck an airport less than a kilometer from his home. The next day, the city came under heavy shelling, and a missile hit his building. Over the following days, entire apartment blocks were bombed one by one. Viktor, unable to run to the basement repeatedly, stayed on the ninth floor.

On February 27, he stepped outside to see the destruction. As he stood under the explosions, a missile struck a neighboring building. The blast wave injured his spine, knocking him unconscious. When he came to, there was no one to help, and he somehow crawled back up to his apartment—though he still doesn’t know how.

On March 6, his son found someone willing to evacuate Viktor and his relatives to Lviv. He spent five days in a shelter at a library, but with nowhere to stay long-term and unable to move due to severe back pain, he continued to Kolomyia. There, he developed a bleeding stomach ulcer and was hospitalized. Doctors confirmed serious spinal injuries, including fractures, but he couldn’t afford treatment.

Hoping for medical help, he traveled to Kyiv, but surgery was too expensive. Eventually, he made his way to Dnipro, where acquaintances provided shelter, and he received treatment as best he could.

His apartment remains partially destroyed.