“Thanks to Projects Like This, We Survive”: Stories from Beneficiaries of the “Road of Hope” Project

Lyudmyla Pavlivna, a 35-year-old mother of two, was forced to leave her home in the village of Vasylkivka, Dnipropetrovsk region, due to threats to her family’s safety. The family lost their home, and Lyudmyla says her greatest concern was the well-being of her children. When she learned about the assistance available through the “Road of Hope” project, she immediately applied and received food vouchers.

This targeted support is part of the project’s ongoing assistance to internally displaced persons who have recently fled their homes and have no stable source of income. Food vouchers allow families to purchase the items they need most during the difficult first months after displacement.

For older people, adapting to a new life and leaving behind everything they have built over the years can be especially challenging. Valentyna Volodymyrivna, a 68-year-old pensioner, was forced to flee the occupied and heavily damaged city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region. Holding back tears, she expressed her gratitude to the project team for helping her purchase essential groceries: “Thank you for your support. It is thanks to kind people like you that we are able to survive.”

The “Road of Hope” project is implemented by Eleos-Ukraine in partnership with Johanniter International Assistance, with financial support from Aktion Deutschland Hilft.