I am an internally displaced person from Izium, a city heavily affected by the war. Since March 2022, I was forced to leave my home along with my girlfriend, our dog, and cat, leaving behind everything we held dear. We lost our normal life, work, safety, and hope for a stable future.

Currently, we live in Kharkiv, trying to survive on minimal means. I found work at a meat processing plant, but my salary of 25,000 UAH (~€580) is barely enough to cover rent and basic living expenses for our family.

My girlfriend’s home is in the occupied territory of Henichesk, and we cannot go there. She is unemployed and cannot support herself.

We live together in a civil partnership and are planning to get married soon. It is very important for us to gain stability, but paying half of our income for rent has become nearly impossible. We dream of owning our own home — a safe place where we can build a life and feel secure about the future.

Our family consists of us, our dog, and our cat. We no longer know a normal life — we are just trying to get by each day. I also fear the possibility of being drafted, and my limited freedom of movement makes it almost impossible to find a better job.

We urgently need your help to buy our own home and create a safe, warm place to live. Any support, big or small, will help us take a step toward a new life, stability, and security that we lost due to the war.