Two weeks.
When Svetlana and her three children fled their hometown to seek shelter, they thought they would only be gone for two weeks. But next month will mark two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — and they have yet to return home.
A small World Help team visiting with displaced Ukrainians had a chance to talk to Svetlana and hear her story — you won’t want to miss it.
Watch this short video to learn more about life as a displaced person in Ukraine:
When Svetlana and her children went on the run, she wasn’t sure if they would make it. The plan was to get to Lviv in western Ukraine, where attacks are fewer, but she wasn’t even sure if they’d make it alive.
It was impossible to find basic essentials like food and water. The places they stayed along the way had no light, heat, or gas. At night, they listened to the sounds of bombs detonating around them.
Svetlana’s family was tired, scared, and losing hope. Thankfully, they did make it to Lviv safely, where they found one of our partner’s centers serving displaced Ukrainians. It was full of lifesaving supplies provided by people like our incredible donors.
“I don’t even want to think about what it would have been like without the support of the Center … they truly helped me in every way,” Svetlana said.
But that’s not the end of the story.
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Svetlana found a job working remotely as a teacher … but her small income isn’t enough to pay rent and meet her children’s basic needs. She took a second job to make ends meet.
And just when Svetlana thought things were looking up for her family, tragedy struck. During an air raid, her 14-year-old son became hysterical and inconsolable.
At first, she thought it was psychological trauma from the war — but he was actually having a stroke.
Unfortunately, the rehab facility he needed to get better was in another city, and Svetlana couldn’t afford to quit her job to dedicate all her time to caring for him. That’s when the family made the difficult decision to separate. Svetlana’s daughter went with her brother to care for him while Svetlana and her youngest stayed in Lviv.
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Now, she works day in and day out to pay for her son’s medical bills. But since most of her income goes toward his recovery, Svetlana struggles to provide for herself and her youngest.
She is desperately waiting for someone like YOU to step in and help. Svetlana and other Ukrainians like her urgently need supplies like food, clean water, warm clothing, and other basic necessities.
“It’s impossible to survive without support,” she said. “Even with working.”
Will you be a lifeline for a refugee or displaced person from Ukraine today?
For just $35, you can provide a week’s worth of essentials like food, clothing, shelter, and other emergency supplies to one Ukrainian refugee or displaced person.
Please don’t wait to give. People like Svetlana are running out of time and don’t know how much longer they’ll be able to survive with what little they have.
Give your best gift now to help a refugee or displaced Ukrainian in need.