Natalia had a connection with Spain before having to seek refuge there, yet as she: “didn’t know the country at all”. She was focused on her treatment after being diagnosed with cancer and raising her daughters while her husband was in the army fighting the war.

Her connection to the Iberian country came through her daughters. “My eldest daughter had been part of a host program for three years, and each year she would come to spend the summer with a family in Valladolid. My youngest daughter participated in the program for just one year”, she recalls.

This connection would prove vital for her family as the people from Valladolid who hosted her daughters every summer open the doors to her family and supported. But this connection did not soften the arrival shock as she “felt very lost because it was something completely new to me”.

And as she explains: “we were worried because we didn’t fully know the family that was offering us help. We were nervous and anxious. However, once we arrived, we felt welcomed, supported, and accompanied by this family. They have helped me in many ways. At first, they provided us with housing, but they have also offered me Spanish classes, supported me with food, and my youngest daughter receives academic support”.

This support was compounded with the assistance from Red Íncola, one of the member organizations of SJM Spain. “The support from Red Íncola has had a very positive impact on my life overall. I have been able to access healthcare, which is incomparable to what is available in Ukraine, as well as free treatment—there were things in Ukraine that I simply couldn’t afford.”.

Combined this support, has proven life-changing for Natalia’s family: “All the support has been incredibly important for me and my family. We feel very grateful”, she expresses. Yet at the end of the day, it is the warmth of the family receiving her that is forever imprinted in her memory. “What I remember the most is the warm welcome, support, and help we received from my eldest daughter’s host family—without them, I don’t think we would have made it”, she underlines.

Now, she finds herself at home in Valladolid. You can hear it in the way she describes her life in the city: “I love walking around Valladolid and enjoying the city. I also like feeding the ducks by the river, going for walks with Mayte (a volunteer from Red Íncola), and swimming in the public pool”

Looking forward, her intention is very clear. She says: “My hope is to stay in Spain. I don’t want to go back to Ukraine. We are doing well here—my husband has a job, and my daughters have adapted. Besides, I have medical check-ups coming up and need to take medication for two more years”.

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