The Foundation’s team has already helped hundreds of families with light repairs to homes damaged due to the war. However, much work remains, as preparing Kherson residents for winter is one of our main priorities.
Currently, we are working on repairing several windows for Lidiya’s family (name changed for safety reasons). Lidiya lived in a private house with her sons’ families. She worked as a cashier all her life and stayed in the city during the occupation. Last summer, a missile hit their yard: it destroyed the summer kitchen and the fence and damaged the house’s windows. The family was in another part of the yard in a gazebo during the explosion, which saved them. This event, however, affected her sons’ families, prompting them to move to calmer parts of the country where the grandchildren started school.
“There aren’t many people left in our neighborhood, but most of them are elderly and need assistance. Realizing this, I began looking for ways to help them. At first, I had no luck, but eventually, I found support among humanitarian organizations,” Lidiya shares.
Lidiya started actively seeking resources to help her neighborhood residents, soon being appointed as the head of the block. Now she knows all her neighbors and cares for those who cannot take care of themselves. Recently, for instance, she organized the distribution of hygiene kits for people with limited mobility.
“I know everyone in our neighborhood and really want to help each person. I know who has already received humanitarian aid, who hasn’t, and who hasn’t received any financial support at all. Of course, we don’t have many people, but there are those who are returning. So, there’s always someone to take care of,” Lidiya notes. “Besides, I constantly have to inspect the area after shelling and call electricians, gas, or other services for repairs after the damage.”
Our team is very happy to support Lidia’s family by replacing the windows shattered by the blast wave. This assistance is made possible by the Lifesaving Shelter, MPCA, SRH, and Protection Assistance for Conflict-Affected Communities in Rural Hromadas in Mykolaivska and Khersonska Oblasts project, implemented by the CO CF SSS in collaboration with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with the support of the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.