With nearly a dozen suitcases and hope in their hearts, Mr. Mykhailo’s family has moved for the second time in the last four years. They first left their native Luhansk region in 2022, after the start of the full-scale war. And this year, at the end of summer, they gathered their most necessary belongings and decided to start all over again and move from the Kyiv region to Mykolaiv.
“Our home in the Luhansk region was damaged, and it was dangerous to stay there. Therefore, in order to give our children a normal life, as far as possible in today’s reality, we had to leave. We lived in Kyiv for a long time. We tried our best to adapt to life in the capital. But it was very difficult for our family. We rented a two-room apartment. Of course, we wanted more space, but the prices for renting a home dictated our terms. The apartment itself was not in the best condition. Due to the constant dampness in the apartment, the children began to get sick often. Therefore, we had to look for other ways out of the situation,” – says Mr. Mykhailo.
It has been three months since Mr. Mykhailo’s family moved to Mykolaiv. According to him, the climate in the city is much drier, so the children are much more comfortable here. In addition to two adults, the family has seven children. The oldest son is 14, and the youngest girl is only 6 months old. Since the family has many children, they finally managed to find the perfect home—they are renting a 5-room apartment.
“We have a large family with many children, and everyone needs space. Now, finally, we have room to spread out. We are currently settling in and doing everything necessary to make our new home cozy and comfortable. We are very happy to have learned about your HUB. You help us so much! As soon as I need something, I no longer worry about where to get the tools and who will help me fix everything, I immediately contact the social workshop. Recently, I borrowed a screwdriver to install baseboards and hang curtains,” – the man shares.
However, according to Mr. Mykhailo, the technical assistants of the social HUB helped the most in creating a cozy home and repairing all the problem areas in the new house.
“During this time, we have probably called your craftsmen five times, if not more. They installed a sewer pipe, replaced the toilet twice, helped assemble furniture, hung mirrors and shelves, and repaired our plastic windows. Now we have submitted a request to repair the door locks. Your craftsmen can do everything. Without their help, our place would just be an apartment. Now it’s our new home,” – says Mykhailo.
In general, at the Mykolaiv Social Hub, you can rent tools for repairs (for your own needs) free of charge, repair/sew clothes in the sewing workshop, use equipment for minor household repairs, get help from craftsmen, and call a craftsman to your home.
Currently, the Social Workshop is planning to expand. This month, additional rooms will open at the HUB: a meeting room, where our foundation’s lawyers will be able to provide free legal advice, and a children’s room. In the children’s room, children who come to the HUB with adults will be able to have fun and enjoy themselves while their parents or grandparents work in the workshops.
For more information about the work of the HUB, please call: +38 050 449 53 22.
Address of the social HUB: 13/9 Mariupolska Street, Mykolaiv.
Hours of operation: Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The Mykolaiv Social Hub operates as part of a project implemented by the charitable organization Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation and the German humanitarian organization Sign of Hope with financial support from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO).