“When you have friends, adapting to a new life becomes much easier”. — The Stupak family is gradually adjusting to a peaceful life in Smila, where they settled in our modular home through the “Fort Home” program.

Not long ago, Andriy and Tetiana, along with their two sons, were in a difficult psychological state after enduring numerous losses during the occupation. In their native Kherson, there was nothing left – no beloved job, no school, no friends, no home. Eventually, the sense of home disappeared, replaced by fear.

Having lost their jobs in the occupied city, the couple found themselves in a financial crisis. Stores had exorbitant prices for products, and receiving humanitarian and social aid was impossible. The worst part was that the family couldn’t escape to a safer place due to constant shelling in their area. So, Andriy and Tetiana decided to wait.

Unfortunately, soon, the Stupak family’s home was destroyed. Later, the family came under fire while fleeing to a safer area in Kherson. They miraculously survived. Fortunately, after an extensive search for help, they contacted Save Ukraine.

Our team evacuated the family to the “Hope and Healing” center in Kyiv, where they had the opportunity to recover psychologically. “After living under constant explosions, this place seemed like a different reality to us. We were surrounded by love and care from the first moments of our arrival. They provided all the necessary things and helped with document processing. The children had a good opportunity to distract themselves by attending various activities organized at the center,” Andriy recounts.

After some time, we offered the couple to settle in our modular home in Cherkasy oblast, where the family continues to rebuild their life with the support of Save Ukraine. Four-year-old Oleksiy and seven-year-old Yevheniy happily attend our day center, and their parents found friends in the local church. But most importantly, the family is safe.

Currently, Andriy and Tetiana are looking for work and continue to believe that the day will come when they can return home.