Before the war, Svitlana was living a quiet life working for a government organization and enjoying the life with her daughter and granddaughters. But it all change with blast near their house on February 24th.

As she recalls, “Early in the morning of February 24th, a loud explosion was heard near our house. Immediately we realized that something terrible had started. Our whole family sat in the basement for a week, and we slept together on the ground”.

As the explosions grew closer and more numerous, Svitlana, her daughter and granddaughters decided to flee. She remembers about that moment, “The children were under a lot of stress; they were very nervous and crying. We didn’t have our belongings with us. It was terrible for us”.

They decided to seek refuge in Slovakia. “We only found out about the Family Help Centre (CPPR) and JRS after a year and a half of our stay in Slovakia. We haven´t experienced this kind of great help before”, she highlights.

Svitlana finds that it is the community aspect of this accompaniment that she values the most. She expresses, “I met a lot of good people here. I can attend Slovak language classes, where I found friends while learning to communicate in the Slovak. I can participate every week in workshops and create interesting thoughts. I also like the various events they organize, like concerts and exhibitions. I feel I am not alone”.

And she adds, “In the summer, my grandchildren were at camp, and I could accompany them some days because they were still little. I like it very much. I don’t feel isolated now, along with all this situation around me. I am an elderly lady, but I still live my life, despite everything that happened”.

Looking forward her desire is clear. “For now, we will stay in Slovakia to keep our grandchildren safe, but we really want peace in Ukraine as soon as possible, so we can return home. That is my desire”.

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 Svitlana. You can read more about The One Proposal at: jrseurope.org/en/project/the-one-proposal/.