Relief assistance of basic necessities serves as a lifeline for families like Zhenya’s in Ukraine

Zhenya, a 38-year-old from Zaporizhzhia, faced countless challenges, but none more intense than the war that ripped through his country. He lives with his mother and elderly grandmother, and despite having dealt with physical health issues since childhood resulting from birth trauma, his mind has always been sharp and active.

Language is one of Zhenya’s passions. Even amid the chaos of war, he finds solace in learning. "I’m very fond of foreign languages," he shares. "I’m currently studying Bulgarian and Hebrew. Of course, I’m brushing up on my English too, and I’ve dabbled in Korean and Chinese, " he shares smiling. 

The war had a devastating impact on his family. From the moment it started, everything changed. "I’ll never forget the first day: the sirens, the wailing, the horror. I was at work when it began, and all I could think about was getting back to my family. I rushed out of work, running through the streets, not caring about the danger. I just needed to be with them," recalls Lyudmyla, Zhenya’s mother. 

"I have a hard time dealing with explosions, but Zhenya is the strong one. He keeps us going. He never shows his fear, and that helps me, and my mother stay calm too."

Lyudmyla’s voice trembles as she recounts the many terrifying nights spent in their shelter: "It was incredibly frightening, especially when the explosions came so close. One night, a neighboring house was hit. I can’t even describe the fear, the helplessness. You hear the rumbling, and you don’t know where to run or what to do. Your heart races, your mind blanks."

As the shelling intensified, Zhenya and his family took refuge in a nearby shelter. The conditions were dire. "The shelter had a broken sewage system, and the toilet didn’t work. We spent nights down there. It felt like we had been living in a sewer. But at least there, we couldn’t hear the explosions as much. That helped us cope,” shares Zhenya.

Zhenya and his family are part of the families that World Vision supported with basic needs, funded by Aktion Deutschland Hilft. "The support has been a blessing," Lyudmyla says. "Everything gets more and more expensive, even the basic things for Ukrainians like potatoes, bread. This helped us use our own resources to buy medicine for Zhenya. Without it, I don’t know how we would have managed."

Despite everything, Zhenya remains joyful. His love of languages keeps his mind sharp, giving him something positive to focus on. However, the war has left a mark on his daily life.  

Intensified hostilities and shifting front lines affect civilians and civilian infrastructure in the hardest-hit oblasts, such as Zaporizhzhia, where Zhenya comes from, resulting in more displacements and limited humanitarian access.

The humanitarian response remains underfunded, with only 42% of the required USD 3.1 billion being provided, limiting aid workers' capacity to address critical needs as winter approaches.

World Vision Ukraine Crisis Response has reached over 573,000 people with cash assistance. 

Story and photos by Anna Lukianenko, Communications Officer