When the Save Ukraine team visited the Polischuk family home, mother Kateryna and her six children were working to restore their home, which had been damaged by russian shelling of the Kakhovka Dam. The mother was screeding the floor, while the children were removing the remnants of wallpaper from the walls and helping with small chores.

“We were lucky,” Kateryna says. Unlike most residents of Fedorivka, the family’s house was flooded only up to knee level. However, this was enough to cause considerable damage to the large family. The floor of the house needs to be completely replaced, the stove repaired, which was damaged by the flood, and the children’s rooms renovated. In addition, the Polishchuk family lost a huge harvest in their garden, which helped them survive during the war.

On the day of the disaster, the parents and children were very frightened when they heard the news of the flood. Without hesitation, they decided to move in with their grandmother, who lived up the street. With tears in their eyes, they gathered their belongings, medicines, children’s books, and some household appliances and went to their relatives. Together with the Polischuk family, 14 people ended up under the roof of the grandmother’s house, two of whom were neighbors who also sought shelter because of the flood.

Crowded but safe, the family survived the most difficult days until the water slowly receded from Fedorivka. Now, parents and children are slowly rebuilding their home together, so that they can finally return home this winter.

Together with World Vision Ukraine Response, we have provided the Polischuk family with a large amount of humanitarian aid, including food, drinking water, hygiene products, a power bank, and more. We hope that these items will help the family survive the most difficult times.