For those who stayed in Ukraine, life has become unrecognisable. Oleksiy, like all fathers, just wants what's best for his children: to protect them and provide for them.
Oleksiy*, who has four children to support, is a builder. Before the war, he explains, prices were lower, so he had more work, and with the ever-present threat of destruction, “now people are frightened to build”.
His youngest daughter, Nadiya* (12), is glad she is still able to attend school in person, unlike so many Ukrainian children: “The teachers can explain everything better. And for my father it’s better as he can go to work.” However, many of her classmates have moved abroad and not returned.
“Most of all I miss my friends and communicating with them,” Nadiya says. “And the time we did not need to use bomb shelters.”
She dreams of becoming a professional photographer when she grows up, but for now she and Oleksiy must focus on the present.
With prices soaring, they are grateful for Lumos’s help in providing food and other essential items. “Lumos helps me,” Oleksiy says. “Thank you.”