Success Stories

I am a single mother of four, raising a 9-year-old son and five-year-old triplets — two boys and a girl. The triplets were born extremely small and, as a result, have disabilities and require rehabilitation. We live in Kharkiv. I am unable to work because public kindergartens are closed due to constant shelling, while private ones are prohibitively expensive. My eldest son attends school in a blended learning format: three days in a basement shelter and two days online. I receive low-income family assistance and disability benefits for my children, but this money is not enough to cover our needs. I can no longer afford their rehabilitation sessions with a speech therapist and psychologist, as well as sensory integration therapy. I am asking for support.

Because of the war, constant shelling, the deaths of friends, a change of job, and my husband’s betrayal, I have developed health problems. I suffer from endometriosis, fibrocystic breast changes, and depression, and I have spinal disc protrusions. After an accidental fall, I have been experiencing persistent back pain and a pulling sensation in my leg. Half a year ago, my legs became numb, and I could barely move around. After receiving injections, my condition improved, and I can now walk freely, but I still need a thorough medical examination, including an MRI. I am from Okhtyrka, in the Sumy region, and I am raising two children, aged 9 and 15. My elderly grandmother from the Poltava region is also staying with us temporarily. I receive child support and work as an electricity meter inspector, but my income is not enough to cover our needs. Both of my children have serious eye conditions and require regular examinations, medication, and new glasses from time to time. I am asking for support for my family.

After our son was born, my husband became emotionally abusive and cruel. A few months ago, when our son was nine months old, I left him because I could no longer tolerate his treatment of me, the constant arguments, and his drinking. He constantly intimidated me and threatened me, saying that beating me would be no trouble for him if I refused to obey him. He told me I needed to learn how to respect my husband. I was restricted in every aspect of my life and had to provide for my son’s needs on my own. I had to take out a loan because my husband did not consider it his responsibility to contribute financially to the needs of our family or child. I could no longer endure the situation, so I left. I now live in a village with my son and cannot go to work because there is no one to look after him. He is just one year and two months old. My ex-husband provides no financial support, and the decision regarding child support was only issued on October 7. Despite this, my ex-husband continues to say that he will not give me a single penny. I have run out of ways to find money to cover even our basic needs: buying food, paying utility bills, and purchasing clothes and toys for my son. My husband refuses to return our belongings. I do not know how to move forward or how to manage everything on my own. I am desperately asking for any help people can offer.