A dream of peace: the story of a family from a front-line village

Project: Strengthening resilience and protecting food security of internally displaced people in eastern Ukraine.

The project is implemented in partnership with the international organization World Vision with the financial support of GIRO 555

Fifty-eight-year-old Antonina and her husband lived a simple village life before the war. Mrs. Tonya took care of the household, and her husband worked as a tractor driver. They enjoyed life and helped their children.

But in March 2022, everything changed – the village began to be bombed. Shells destroyed houses, a school, and a church. “The earth sobbed, shook. Such explosions were very scary. Nothing was heard, only explosions,” Antonina shares.

However, despite all the horrors of the war, the couple did not leave their village until the end. On March 13, their car was hit by shells, the windows were broken, but, fortunately, the engine remained intact. They took the documents and went to their relatives to decide where to move next.

But even there, among good people, Mrs. Tonya could not hold back her tears: “I never thought that we would go to an unknown destination because of the war. I have always helped people, and now someone is helping us…”

In May, the family returned home. They lived without electricity for almost a month, but later life began to improve.

However, the war scattered relatives around the world. The son and his family went abroad, and the daughter remained in Mykolaiv since the beginning of the war. “I cried and asked her to move. It was so difficult that there was no water and no funds to buy bread. She and her husband lost their jobs because all the companies were closed,” the woman says sadly. She sent her daughter money from her savings because she understood how difficult it was for them.

But even in the most difficult times, people did not lose faith. One day, the “Arms of Mercy” foundation visited the village with church officials. Two cars with trailers, filled with food and necessary things, became a real salvation for the villagers who lost almost everything due to the war. With tears in her eyes, Mrs. Tonya remembers that day: “We all gathered, and they brought us so much help… For us, for the residents of the village, this support was invaluable.”

We sincerely thank our partners – the international organization World Vision and the donor GIRO 555, without your support, the implementation of this project would be impossible.

At the end of the conversation, we asked her about her dream. The answer was simple and profound: “I only dream that there would be peace sooner rather than later, that everyone would be alive. How many disabled people have returned to the village… they come on sticks, wounded. So that boys, girls, and men return home – to their relatives.

This story is about pain and suffering, but at the same time – about invincibility, mutual help, and faith.

The “Arms of Mercy” charitable foundation continues to support war victims. So let’s get involved in good deeds and not be indifferent. Because the most valuable thing is human life and kindness in hearts.