Assistance to a family with a critically ill child

Project: Increasing the sustainability and protection of food security of internally displaced persons in the east of Ukraine.

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

39-year-old Iryna Mykhailiuk from Zaporizhzhia is not hiding her tears at the moment. After all, the war destroyed her house in her hometown of Huliaipole and deprived her family of a roof over their heads.

Before the hostilities began, Iryna did not work, as she was taking care of her 12-year-old disabled son with subgroup A, who needs constant extraneous care. Amid her hard work, Iryna found solace only in the comfort of her home. “We lived in our house. We had flowers and a garden. We planted and cared for them, and everything was fine” says Iryna and the war cruelly deprived her of this.

During heavy shelling, they had to hide with their children in the basement, sometimes with no light and heat supply. It was especially difficult for Iryna’s seriously ill 12-year-old son. “He was screaming, crying – it was difficult for him to understand what was happening. After all, the boy has complete mental retardation,” says the woman. “I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

When the evacuation of civilians began, the family was sent by bus to Zaporizhzhya. At first I had to live in an overcrowded dormitory in a challenging environment.

“It was very difficult to live there with my child, so we found a rented apartment to make it easier to take care of my son. Although these are significant expenses, there is no other way out ,” says Ms. Iryna.

With the support of the international organization World Vision and the financial assistance of GIRO 555, our foundation “Arms of Mercy” provided monetary assistance. That allowed Iryna to pay for the apartment in advance and pay off part of the debts: “They came out of the blue. Words fail to express how happy I am,” shares Iryna Hryhorivna.

“We are extremely grateful to the foundation and everyone who cares!” – concludes the woman.

Irina’s only dream is for her children to be alive, healthy and happy. This is the dream of our foundation, the entire team and the entire country.