‘‘Cherish your home and your parents, because one day they might not be there.’’ — Sofia, 9

Sophia is nine and lives in a small village in eastern Ukraine with her parents, grandparents, and younger sister. They once had a warm, cozy home: “with a wood-burning stove, so the house was always warm,” she says.

In March 2022, bombs destroyed their village. For two weeks, Sophia and her family hid in the basement. They couldn’t leave and couldn’t wash. “I had a dream that there were fireworks, but my mom told me these were explosions,” Sophia remembers.

When they finally fled, the family was separated in the chaos at the train station. Screaming “Mom! Mom!” Sophia and her sister were reunited with their mom again. 

They spent months in western Ukraine, tired and most of all shocked, every sound made them think of the bombing they went through. When they returned home, everything was gone. “I remember I was coming back home, but this was the first moment I couldn’t recognize where I am,” Sophia says.

Since then, we have stood with them, bringing generators when there’s no electricity, providing tools to rebuild, listening to their stories, and supporting them wherever we can.

We want to keep standing with Sophia and families like hers; those living close to the frontline, so they can rebuild their lives after losing everything.