Lost home, but a saved life: the story of Ms. Svitlana from Kupiansk region
For each of us, a home is not just a fortress of brick and concrete. It is the smell of mother’s pies, the height marked on the doorframe, old photo albums, and memories of a carefree childhood.
Ms. Svitlana was born and raised in the Kupiansk region. There, in her parents’ house, her best years passed. She knew every path in the garden, every crack on the old porch, and planned to spend her peaceful old age there. However, the “damn war,” as Svitlana herself says, brought “liberation” — cruel, cynical, and absolute.
Occupation, constant shelling, and later a direct hit from a Russian shell turned her parental home into a pile of ash and twisted metal in an instant.
There is simply nowhere for Ms. Svitlana to return now. Together with the house, her entire past life burned down. She is endlessly grateful to God that she survived at all, as escaping from that hell was a true miracle… However, what she went through did not pass without consequences.
Having become an internally displaced person (IDP), without belongings or shelter, the woman faced severe consequences of immense stress. Her health, which had never failed before, was severely affected: heart attacks, constant insomnia, and shortness of breath became her new daily reality.
At the most difficult and critical moment, Ms. Svitlana ended up in the Kharkiv region, where volunteers took care of her fate. A helping hand was extended by those who truly know what war and the pain of loss mean — the team of the NGO “Wives of Veterans”.
This support became possible thanks to a large-scale and reliable partnership with the American-Ukrainian charitable foundation Rememberus.org. Founded once by Jewish refugees from Soviet Ukraine to preserve historical memory, the RememberUs organization radically changed its focus from the very first days of the full-scale invasion in 2022. They immediately reoriented themselves toward providing emergency humanitarian and medical aid to people in the war zone and in de-occupied territories, as well as to IDP families.
Today, the NGO “Wives of Veterans” expresses its warmest words of deep gratitude to the RememberUs.org foundation and its leaders — Igor Korsunsky, Julia Preshman Korsunsky, and Oksana Bondar. Your tireless work, systematic assistance, and sincere hearts bring hope and vital resources to thousands of Ukrainians who have lost everything.
Thank you for helping to hold the rear and saving the lives of people like Ms. Svitlana, restoring their faith in human warmth and solidarity!
With support: GO “Wives of Veterans”
