Ina and her 13-year-old daughter woke up Feb. 24 to the sound of bombs in Kharkiv, Ukraine. They grabbed two sets of clothes each, packed two days’ worth of food, and ran for cover.
They ended up living in a subway station turned into a bomb shelter for an entire week.
Refugees like Ina desperately need your help. Every $35 you give provides a week’s worth of critical aid like food, shelter, clothes, and more for a displaced person in Ukraine or another high-conflict area.
Hear Ina describe those first few days as a refugee:
Living in the subway station was unlike anything Ina had experienced before. Sleeping comfortably was next to impossible, especially packed in with so many strangers. After their food ran out, all they had to eat was whatever volunteers occasionally brought down to the people taking shelter there.
It was also hard being away from her husband who had stayed behind to help fight against the invasion.
Still, as difficult as it was for her, Ina said some people had it far worse.
She saw a lady who was pregnant with one child while still breastfeeding another, trying to survive on her own and keep her infant and unborn baby safe.
Ina also met a family who had been caught in the middle of a missile blast. They were rushed to the hospital and miraculously lived, but the mom received a severe head injury.
There was one good thing about the subway station, though, Ina said. It muffled the sound of the bombing so her daughter couldn’t hear the city above them being destroyed. Still, it couldn’t completely protect them from the trauma.
Ina’s daughter heard the bombs falling the entire way to the subway station. She saw the destruction and the ruins.
“I wish I could take back the memories from her,” Ina said. “It changes people when they see the horrors that man can inflict.”
Finally, after seven excruciating days in the shelter, a train came for the women and children. It was packed with three to four times as many people as it was meant to carry, and the passengers were told to leave everything behind as they boarded. They could only take the clothes they were wearing.
At least, now Ina is safe. She is temporarily staying at a refugee center run by World Help’s partners, and she is incredibly grateful for the help she has received.
“It’s not easy getting food and basics in some places,” she said.
Her dream is to return to her city someday and help rebuild it to its former beauty, but she knows that day, if it ever comes, will be far, far in the future.
“I believe until the last building is gone, they will keep bombing,” Ina said.
While she waits for the fighting to stop, Ina and others like her need basic necessities to survive — necessities you can provide. Your $35 gift today will give one person in Ukraine or another high-conflict area access to essentials like food, clothing, shelter, and more.
Please give today to help a struggling refugee like Ina.
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