What was your life like before...

Before the war, my life was completely different. I worked as a sole proprietor at the local market, selling vegetables. This was our main business and our only source of income, but I loved my work, because it gave us the chance to earn honestly and live by our own labor. We had a big house in Toretsk, cozy and dear to us, where we had lived for many years. We had our own farm, we worked, we fixed up our home and simply lived like an ordinary family. We lived without a care, made plans and dreamed of a peaceful future, never thinking that one day we would have to leave all of this behind. Most of all, we simply dreamed of a happy life in our own house, of health, prosperity, and the chance to work and be together.

How does this affect your everyday life?

Before the war, my morning began completely differently. I woke up in my big house in Toretsk, did the housework, made breakfast and got ready for the market. An ordinary working day lay ahead: selling vegetables, talking with people, farm chores. We lived our ordinary family life and did not think that all of this might one day disappear. Now every morning begins with anxiety about tomorrow. We live in a small rented house, without a farm of our own. Even such simple things as buying food and medicine or paying for utilities have become difficult for us, because we have to count every hryvnia. The hardest thing is waking up and realizing that your home is no more, and that returning to your former life is not possible for now. But we try to hold on and to believe that one day we will have our own home and a peaceful life again.

Your strengths and dreams

We try not to give up and to start our life anew. Even after losing our home, our work and everything we had, we support each other and try to cope with the difficulties together. I believe that the hardest times cannot last forever. I dream of having a home of our own again, of being able to live peacefully, work and not be afraid of tomorrow. It is this hope and this faith in something better that help me find the strength to keep going every day.

What exactly will the funds be used for?

We will use the help we receive for the most essential needs of our family: food, medicine, rent and utilities. After the evacuation we were left without a home of our own and without work, so right now even ordinary daily expenses are a heavy financial burden for us. Every hryvnia of help will have real meaning for us: it will help us buy food, get the medicine we need, pay part of the rent or utilities and simply live one more month in safety. We thank everyone who is helping us start our life anew.