A home that offers love and warmth

For Antonina and Oleksandr, the decision to become foster parents and offer love and care to children in a less fortunate life situation has never been regretted. The couple adopted their first child in 2008 and later established a family-type orphanage providing a nurturing home to nine children. 
 

Supporting each other and sharing everything they had, the family lived near Dobropillia in Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Their farmhouse sat on a 6,000-square-meter land plot where they raised cows, chickens, and ducks, contributing to their self-sufficiency.

However, their peaceful life was upended in February 2022 when the full-scale Russian invasion forced them to flee, first to western Ukraine and later to Kropyvnytskyi in Kirovohrad region. Like thousands of other displaced families, Antonina and Oleksandr struggled to find suitable accommodation for their large family. For two years, they lived in a cramped three-room rented apartment—safe, but far from adequate for eleven people.
 

In December 2024, local authorities in Kropyvnytskyi provided them with a house, finally offering much-needed space for their growing children. However, the house lacked basic furniture, making it difficult for the family to fully settle in and prepare for winter – and like so many people across Ukraine, the family faced limited access to energy amid the ongoing blackouts due to relentless Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. 

To help them transform their new house into a warm and functional home, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its NGO partner, the Tenth of April, provided the family with an electric stove with an oven as well as a portable power station to ensure they have an alternative energy source during the power outages, allowing them to stay comfortable even during freezing temperatures. 

With support from donors like France, UNHCR has been able to deliver has been able to deliver over 312,000 multisectoral services as part of our vital winter assistance to displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine. This includes provision of energy sources like portable power stations to families and collective sites as well as generators to authorities and communities, allowing for vital functions to continue amid power cuts. In addition, UNHCR has distributed heaters, insulation kits and other essential winter aid as well as winter cash assistance to vulnerable families, helping them to cover the cost of solid fuel and increased energy bills.
 

The large foster family was also supported with some furniture to help them make the new house more inhabitable, which has been a crucial helping hand, explains Antonina. 
 

“The power station and furniture will greatly enhance the comfort of our new home and help us in case of power cuts. This is exactly what we needed to improve our children’s living conditions. We are very moved to know that there are people out there who care about us during these difficult times," she says.