Join Ron and Debbie in Rebuilding a Neighborhood in Ukraine

At the beginning of the war, we were at home. Oleksii has been disabled since childhood, classified in Group 2. During the shelling, we constantly hid in the cellar. We live along the Kozacha Lopan-Derhachi highway, where the occupiers were constantly driving during the first days of the war; it was very frightening. When the shelling intensified and the neighboring houses started to burn, on May 9, 2022, we were evacuated to the Berminvody sanatorium. Our house burned down, and we have nowhere to live. Our child is very anxious to go home.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

Early in the morning of February 24, the family woke up to the first shelling. They hid in the cellar for two months. The lack of electricity and gas made life difficult for them. They endured by taking turns sleeping in the cellar due to lack of space. The food supplies they had preserved allowed them to prepare food and share it with their fellow villagers , as well as with the military who defended the village. Lack of access to communication and volunteers made their situation difficult, so they survived by relying on their own strength and resources. After the mortar attack, which had damaged their yard, the family learned that the Russians had approached and were two kilometers away from them. Realizing that they might not survive, they decided to leave. The children suffered a lot psychologically, and they both had a concussion from the flight. One of the children has asthma, so they immediately went to the hospital. Currently, the family lives in Pisochyn, in a sanatorium for displaced people. The daughter, Olena, dreams of becoming a teacher of the Ukrainian language and often comes to give her first lessons in Dergachy. They all hope to return to their village to rebuild their lives and home.”

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

On February 24th at 5 in the morning, the family couldn’t sleep as the whole village was gripped with the fear of an impending war. With the first sounds of shelling, they descended into the cellar and sat there for some time. By 8 in the morning, tank battles erupted on their street, and electricity and gas disappeared immediately. Within a week, the complete occupation of the village began, accompanied by mistreatment of locals and mysterious disappearances.

The family ran out of food. After a month, the Russians came and forced them out of their home onto the streets. With only their cat and minimal belongings, they crossed the front line on foot. They recalled being shot at by mortars as they ran. Their biggest challenge was that the wife was insulin-dependent, and they had no access to it.

Finding an abandoned dacha in a hamlet within the village, they hid there for a month. The husband would return to their house to plead with the occupiers to feed their dog. The Russians mocked the family when they were found, shooting near their legs and pointing tank barrels at the grandmother to gauge their reactions.

These people survived sheer horror and now live in a two-room dormitory, trying to rebuild their shattered lives.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

Nikolai, the father of the serviceman (76), Roman, the serviceman (48), and their biological sister, Olena (44), experienced the first shelling on February 24th. As soon as enemy vehicles entered the village, the family took refuge in the cellar. They faced insufficient food supplies, compelling them to move around the village seeking help from neighbors. Two weeks later, the Russians closed off the village, subjecting the locals to humiliation and terror for two months. Volunteers reached the family after the occupation, evacuating them all. Once on Ukrainian-controlled territory, the son joined the military. Currently, the family rents two rooms in a dormitory and hopes to return to their native village.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

The Tokaryev family consists of Lyudmila, the mother (60), and Vyacheslav, the son (43). On February 24th, they heard explosions and went outside to witness bombardments from the direction of the checkpoint. As the village was being destroyed, they sought shelter in a cellar for a month. After experiencing relative calm, the family left in their car. The son immediately joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and is currently stationed in the combat zone. He strives to keep any negative information from reaching his mother. The son’s wife, who was with them in the cellar, passed away from the cold during that time. The mother and son currently have nowhere to live.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

Grynenko Alina (35) and Olena (55)

On the morning of February 24, the mother and daughter witnessed the first shelling when explosions occurred near their home. They decided to immediately move to the basement. Having a large basement, they allowed 21 people to take shelter there. Everyone who stayed there even carried out minor repairs to ensure minimal living conditions. They all found themselves under occupation, and when the Russian troops entered, they pulled people out of the basement and fired nearby to force them to reveal who was directing the fire. Everyone, terrified by what they heard and saw, began to move to the Ukrainian-controlled territory. People called the road they used to escape the "road of life." When the last residents left the basement, they all left the keys to their homes with Alina and Olena so they could feed all the animals, as they remained in the village. When they ran out of medicine and supplies, the women decided to leave the village as well. Later, they learned from fellow villagers that their house was gone. Currently, the family lives in a rented apartment, which is very expensive, and it's very difficult to keep the pets that stayed with them in the apartment. The women never stop dreaming of returning to their land.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

Fartushna Serhiy (58) and Tamara (54)

On February 24, the family was at home when they heard the first shelling and saw military equipment heading towards Kharkiv. They realized that the war had come to their land, to their country. For three months, they endured the complete horror of the occupation, struggling with a lack of food and medicine, while being in a total information vacuum. The family survived on what they had in the cellar. Serhiy found a way to leave the village using routes unknown to the Russians, and in doing so, he managed to save many lives of fellow villagers who were being tortured. He evacuated them because he knew they couldn't endure another night. After Russian soldiers moved into their house, the family left for the Ukrainian-controlled territory. Before leaving, Serhiy saw that the Russians were bringing a lot of weapons into their house. Despite everything, understanding what could happen, he gave the coordinates of his house to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Later, he saw in a video that his house was gone. Currently, the family is in a very difficult emotional state, unable to rebuild, and they are renting accommodation, living only on their pension.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

Voitenko Oleksandr (68) and Valentyna (69)

On February 24, the family was at home, with the shelling around them violently breaking the silence. To survive, they hid in the basement. Oleksandr managed to save a small gas cylinder from the shelling, which they used to cook food. They also brought a wood stove into the basement to keep warm with firewood. Oleksandr put out fires three times while under shelling; their house was on fire, and he also managed to save a neighbor's house that was engulfed in flames at the same time. Oleksandr gathered many pets that were left behind to feed them, and he found chickens to lay eggs to feed the dogs and cats.

After the family spent six months in the basement, Valentyna became very ill and needed antibiotics. Oleksandr bravely took her to the hospital, risking their lives. He returned the same day, and while he was hiding with the animals in the basement, a missile hit their house. It burned down completely, including their car and workshop, but fortunately, Oleksandr survived. Left without their home and main means of livelihood—the carpentry workshop—Oleksandr walked to the city of Derhachi, where he now takes care of his wife in the hospital. She had a stroke, triggered by the stress of losing their home.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

Kozlov Family: Father Volodymyr (56), Mother Iryna (51), and Son Vitalii (32)

On February 24, the family was at home when they suddenly heard explosions outside. This day brought with it the terrible reality of war. Quickly understanding the seriousness of the situation, the family decided to hide in the cellar, as it was the only place where they could shelter from the shelling. The first month of the war was particularly difficult—loss of communication, power outages, and constant shelling forced them to live in complete darkness and danger. However, when the intensity of the shelling decreased, the family could cook food over a fire, and everyone tried to support each other. The father and son helped the village elder with local residents, providing food and assisting with evacuations. During the shelling, the family's home suffered damage. A month later, Volodymyr had a massive heart attack and needed surgery. Understanding the seriousness of his condition, the family gathered all available funds to help him get the necessary medical care. He now requires special care. Only the son is working, helping with the reconstruction of Kharkiv. The funds are insufficient, and the family needs assistance. They continue to hope to restore their home and return there.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

On February 24, the Cyganko family, including Eduard (53) and Tetiana (51), was getting ready for work when they heard the first shell explosions. Immediately, they understood that war had begun, a fear they had been warned about. The family took refuge in the cellar, fearing that any direct hit on their house would be catastrophic. People couldn’t venture outside. After seeing a crater left by a neighboring house, they decided to leave by car. Many shells fell near their vehicle as they barely made it onto the road, encountering Ukrainian Armed Forces who informed them that the village was closing off, with little hope of return. Eduard worked in the school boiler room, so he was allowed to return to heat the school where military personnel were stationed. The family moved to Kharkiv, living in a two-room apartment with friends for two years. They want to return home to tend to their farm.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family

On February 24th, Alexander woke up to explosions, not understanding what was happening. He stepped out of his house to see everything around him illuminated by fires. He took shelter in the cellar, unable to reach his mother due to the intensity of the shelling, which had cut off all communication. After enduring two months in hiding, he decided to leave the village to find his mother.

Waiting for dawn, he cleared the road of debris from the bombardments, and then left the village, seeking refuge in Slobodzhanse, at a friend’s country house. Locals informed him that his home was no more. Currently, he works at a defense plant and constructs fortifications for the military, traveling to the frontlines to set up defensive structures. He has no means to rent accommodation at the moment.

Learn More About Sponsoring This Family