Thousands of people in need, thousands of stories we come across as we support people. And with the permission of these people, we share these stories with readers.

***
Valentyna Chofu and her family had been in Vodnyk, Mykolaiv region, their native village, since the first days of hostilities in Ukraine. They did not plan to leave their home because they hoped to the last that this horror would end sooner or later. But every day the situation worsened. Mykolaiv region was under continuous shelling, so the family had to live in a cellar almost all the time. Due to constant shelling, the windows and doors of their house crumbled, and in the conditions of severe frosts, it became unfit for life.

The family stayed in Vodnyk until March 10, and then decided to evacuate to a safer place. Valentyna’s son and his wife went to some relatives, and Valentyna stayed with other relatives in Odessa.

The first months were very difficult for them to get used to the new living conditions in an unfamiliar city. The Chofu family lost the opportunity to earn money, run a farm, and buy food. They were leaving in an emergency, so they took the most necessary things with them.

“We found out about ADRA Ukraine thanks to good people who have already received assistance from the organization,” says Valentyna. According to her, such food assistance was very timely. “The pension is small, it is very difficult to live on it. Everything is spent on medicine, utility bills and basic necessities.”

***
Valentyna Chofu’s family has received food assistance within the framework of the project supported by the World Food Program of the United Nations (World Food Program) that covers the most vulnerable regions of Ukraine, primarily frontline and hard-to-reach areas.