Kateryna: “Life at the care home is good — they treat me well, and the conditions are good.”

Displacement experience 

I’m from Svitlychne, a small settlement in Luhansk region. Back in 2014, when Russian forces began advancing in Eastern Ukraine, a shell hit my house. Part of it was destroyed, and I was injured — almost losing my eyesight. My daughter, who lives in Magadan, wanted me to stay with her, but I missed my home terribly. I cried and begged her to let me return — and finally, she agreed. When I stepped into my house, buried in chunks of fallen plaster, I was happy. When the full-scale invasion began, I was at home. A neighbor came running, screaming that bombing was starting and we had to run. A small group of us hid in a basement for several weeks — with little food or water. 

I didn’t know where to go. A stranger — a volunteer — helped me contact relatives in Zaporizhzhia and got me on a train to them. I stayed with family for a while, but due to some conflicts, I had to find another place. Then a soldier I had known since 2016, whose unit had been stationed near my home, called me. He had always cared deeply about me. He arranged a place for me in a geriatric center in Lviv. His friends came, picked me up, and put me on a train. That’s how I got to Lviv. 

Encounter with JRS 

I truly enjoy the Ukrainian language classes. We talk about everything — our traditions, culture. I share stories about how we used to bake bread or cook traditional dishes. These conversations mean a lot to me. There’s also a very kind psychologist who runs sessions and art-therapies with us. I can’t do everything, as my vision is poor, but we talk — and I love that. I share stories, and people listen. 

Integration and Future 

The soldier who helped me get to the care home still visits regularly. He’s like a son to me now. Friends and acquaintances who are now scattered across Ukraine and abroad also call me often. Life at the care home is good — they treat me well, and the conditions are good. I love singing. At one event, I sang “P’ye zhuravka vodu” — a song about a crane who loses her mate in the war and is left alone with her chicks, who then grow up and leave too. That song is about me…  

I don’t know what the future holds for me. I’m already old — 84 years. But I’m grateful to God for my life and for the people who care for me. 

JRS is working together with the Xavier Network, the Society of Jesus in Europe, local civil society, and NGOs in a coordinated Jesuit response. Together we help thousands of people like Kateryna. You can read more about The One Proposal at: jrseurope.org/en/project/the-one-proposal/.