Yevstratieva Valentyna was born on January 31, 1929, in the town of Reshetylivka, Poltava region of Ukraine. In 1939, her family moved to Chernivtsi, Western Ukraine.

With the start of World War II, she was forced to evacuate, and after the war ended, she returned to her hometown. Valentyna’s older brothers fought on the front lines, and her younger brother returned from the war disabled - he had lost a leg.

After finishing school, Valentyna enrolled at Chernivtsi State University, but due to chronic pneumonia, she transferred to the Simferopol Pedagogical Institute, where the climate was more favorable for her health. She was an excellent student, graduated with honors, and for her outstanding academic performance was assigned to work at a secondary school in Sevastopol - such an appointment was considered a real honor at the time.

In 1951, Valentyna married a naval officer. The couple raised two daughters, born in 1953 and 1960. After the sudden death of her husband in 1967, she was left alone with the children. In 1969, she moved with her daughters to Chernivtsi, where her older brothers lived.

Until her retirement in 1984, Valentyna worked as a chemistry teacher. Her students remember her as a wise, demanding, yet incredibly kind educator who not only taught but also knew how to support, listen, and give advice.

Throughout her life, Valentyna wrote poetry, made translations from Russian language, and had a great passion for cross-stitch embroidery.

At 96 years old, she has lived through war, loss, hardship - and moments of great love, learning, and purpose. Today, she lives quietly in Chernivtsi with her eldest daughter. She continues to create cross-stitch embroidery by hand - one of her lifelong passions - and cherish every new day with gratitude.

Despite her advanced age, she retains a clear mind, a curiosity about life, a gentle smile, and an inexhaustible kindness of heart. Her story is a shining example of resilience, dignity, and love for others.

Valentyna's story reflects the reality of countless seniors who are struggling to maintain dignity and quality of life in these challenging times. Your support will help cover the rising cost of living that has grown beyond her reach - food, heating, and essential medical care. Together, we can ensure she feels supported, valued, and never forgotten.

We would like to share the story of a wonderful 9-year-old girl, Anastasia Ursakii - a bright, kind, and incredibly talented young artist. Anastasia isn’t just smart; she has an amazing gift for drawing. Recently, she even won 1st place in her age category at a local art competition!

But Anastasia’s childhood has not been easy. From birth, she has shown remarkable strength, patience, and resilience. When she was born, doctors diagnosed her with hip joint dysplasia - a condition where the hip bone doesn’t fit properly into the joint.

During her first years of life, little Anastasia had to wear special orthopedic braces called Pavlik harnesses, which held her legs in a stretched position to help her hips heal. Unfortunately, despite all the effort and treatment, her condition did not improve enough, and she eventually needed surgery. Thanks to this operation, Anastasia was finally able to walk - step by step, with courage and determination.

Today, Anastasia continues to amaze everyone around her with her positivity and creativity. She can spend hours drawing, creating beautiful pictures full of imagination and light. She attends local art classes and dreams of learning modern digital art techniques, many of which are available online.

Her biggest dream right now is to have a tablet and access to online art classes. This will allow her to  keep learning and practicing digital art - especially during air raid sirens, when schools in Ukraine are closed, and children must study from home or in shelters.

Anastasia’s story is one of courage, hope, and incredible talent.

Due to the war, many families are facing difficult circumstances and lack sufficient funds to support their households and basic needs. Among them is Nataliia Vernikovska and her family. Nataliia is a devoted mother of two boys, ages 13 and 15, and a caring daughter to an elderly mother who requires ongoing medical attention. Her husband has survived four heart attacks and lives with significant kidney and liver conditions, as well as diabetes, all of which demand continuous treatment and support.

Before the war, Nataliia worked as a graphic designer for an advertising services company - a job she truly loved. However, from the first days of the war, she lost her position and has been unable to find employment in her field since. Over the past several years, she has taken on multiple jobs in an effort to provide for her family, but despite her best efforts, meeting their basic needs has remained extremely challenging.

Driven by a deep passion for art and a desire to become a stronger provider for her loved ones, Nataliia hopes to build an independent livelihood by opening a small graphic design business. Her experience and skills would allow her to do so, but she currently lacks the necessary equipment to begin.

With great humility, she asks that her situation be considered, acknowledging the many pressing needs that others also face. If possible, she requests support to help her move forward.

Any donations would allow Nataliia to purchase essential equipment and start her own business:

1. GCC Jaguar J5-183SLX Vinyl Cutter with Optical Sensor

2. Canon imageRUNNER C3326i Printer

3. Dahle 867 Guillotine

Nataliia and her family express their heartfelt gratitude for any assistance offered, and for the hope and new opportunities such generosity brings.

Oksana Yehorova was born in 1965 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, where she continues to live today. Life has not always been easy for her. Her family life did not work out, and she never had children. For many years, she served as the sole caregiver for her seriously ill mother, dedicating nearly all of her time to providing care until her mother sadly passed away just before the war began.

Since childhood, Oksana has had a deep love for animals. Over the years, she has rescued countless homeless cats and dogs, offering them food, shelter, and compassion when no one else would. Even now, she cannot walk past a sick or hungry animal without stopping to help - she feels their pain as if it were her own.

When the war started, many of the people Oksana knew fled the country. Some encouraged her to leave as well, but she simply could not. At the time, she was already feeding more than 25 stray cats and about 10 dogs who lived in her yard. They wait for her every day - they know exactly when she comes to feed them. They trust her. They rely on her. And she could never abandon them.

Tragically, the number of abandoned animals has continued to grow. As families fled, many pets were left behind - even purebred ones. One such dog, a poodle she found so matted he was barely recognizable, now lives with her.

But with each passing day, life becomes more difficult. Prices for food and medicine continue to rise. Earning a living is becoming nearly impossible. Even purchasing basic groceries and essential medications has turned into a struggle. She has lived by candlelight for weeks at a time. Her health is worsening - affected by constant stress, her age, and the harsh reality of survival. Despite having worked her entire life, many years of her labor were not counted toward her official record, leaving her without even a minimal pension. Finding paid work now is nearly impossible due to her age and declining health.

Still, Oksana does everything she can - not only to support herself, but also to care for the “little tails,” as she lovingly calls them, who look up at her with hungry, trusting eyes.

One thing remains clear to her: no matter how hard life becomes, she will not leave. She cannot abandon the animals. Without her, they would not survive.

For this reason, she is humbly asking for support. Even the smallest donation would mean the world - not only to her, but to the many animals who depend on her for their daily survival.

Oksana still believes that this nightmare will end and that peace will return. Until that day comes, she simply needs a little help to keep going - to buy food, medicine, and continue caring for the voiceless souls who have no one else.

Hleb was born in Ukraine on May 15, 2006, and was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder early in his childhood. This early diagnosis helped his family quickly understand the need for specialized education and upbringing for their curious and active boy. This meant a lot of dedication, including a special regimen of therapy, diet, exercise, and speech therapy.

Hleb's mother, Anastasia Aleksandrova, spent endless hours on self-education, tirelessly learning to understand the unique needs of her child. She poured all possible resources into providing every opportunity for his development. Throughout his school years, Anastasia worked relentlessly, advocating for Hleb to be accepted into a regular school environment, despite the country's limited infrastructure and systems to support special needs children in society.

Through many challenges, Hleb attended and completed high school according to his abilities. Anastasia consistently nurtured Hleb’s interests and natural skills to enhance his development, with the goal of helping him become as independent as possible so he could eventually provide for himself. Hleb attended after-school programs for music and dance, following his interests and passions. The family also actively involves him in many household duties, so he is learning essential life skills.

However, the war in Ukraine dramatically disrupted their lives, bringing continuous stress, fear for their lives, and blackouts. Anastasia, who is the sole breadwinner, is facing an additional crisis as her company announced a change of ownership, leading to her losing her job in a few months. She is also supporting her older son who is a full time student and her husband, who has been undergoing a rehabilitation program and unable to support the family for several years. With the added responsibility of caring for her elderly parents, it has become incredibly difficult to support the family overall and address Hleb’s specific needs.

Since Hleb completed high school last year, they have not yet been successful in finding a suitable educational institution for him to continue his development. Currently, the only viable options are private classes and courses. Hleb's beloved hobbies of playing the piano, dancing, and swimming remain vital opportunities for his continued growth. He still requires ongoing speech therapy, with a current focus on mastering correct sentence construction and confident communication with strangers.

For his professional development, Anastasia envisions specialized training in assembling electronic chips, or pursuing his aspiration to undergo training and work at McDonald's.

Though a young adult by age, Hleb still requires significant support to achieve maturity and self-sufficiency. Continued assistance for his education and professional development remains a critical need for this family, who are bravely navigating the horrific consequences of the war and striving to stay afloat.

We deeply appreciate your consideration and thank you for any support you can offer.

Paraskoviya Sharaburyak was born in 1952 in the beautiful mountain village of Biloberizka, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine. Her childhood was spent deep in the Carpathian Mountains, where life was tough and isolated. From a very young age, Paraskoviya worked hard in the fields, helping her family to survive. Winters in the mountains were long and bitterly cold, and she often had to work outside, which eventually took a toll on her health.

After finishing school, she spent most of her life working at a local factory. The work was extremely hard, and because there was no transportation, she often had to walk long distances to and from work. Years of physical labor left their mark - her joints began to ache while she was still young, but she continued working to support her family.

About ten years ago, Paraskoviya developed chronic inflammation in both knee joints, which gradually made walking impossible. Doctors recommended surgery, but her family simply couldn’t afford it. Over time, the disease spread further, and now the inflammation has reached her pelvic joints, causing constant pain and making even small movements extremely difficult.

Today, Paraskoviya lives in the village of Dzhuriv, Ivano-Frankivsk region. She can hardly leave her house and now moves around her home with the help of two wooden sticks. Her monthly pension is only about $80, which barely covers food and electricity. She often has to choose between buying bread or pain medicine.

Besides her joint disease, Paraskoviya also struggles with heart problems, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels. Every day she takes the cheapest painkillers available, because she can’t afford anything else, but they bring little relief.

Despite everything, Paraskoviya remains kind, humble, and hopeful.

Your support will help cover the rising cost of living that has grown beyond her reach - food, heating, and essential medical care. Most importantly, your support will bring her peace of mind in her later years, reminding her that she is not alone.