A Home Beyond War

The morning they left was nothing like the mornings before. Valentyna helped her mother Raisa into the evacuation vehicle, carefully guiding her 88-year-old frame with hands that had spent decades working as a seamstress. Around them, Kupyansk was transforming—a city they had known their entire lives, now unrecognizable in the chaos of war.

It was October 17, 2024, when the volunteers from Kharkiv administration arrived. Valentyna, at 63, was already battling cancer. Raisa, nearly blind from cataracts, had spent her life working on collective farms. Their world had been small but stable—a home, a garden, daily routines that brought comfort.

The first weeks were a blur of uncertainty. A dormitory in Kharkiv became their temporary home, filled with other displaced people. Cramped spaces, unfamiliar faces, the constant hum of anxiety—it was nothing like the quiet life they had known.

Then came the call from Senior Chudo Village. Valentyna remembered how her hands shook when she heard about the opportunity. A chance for real shelter, for care, for something approaching peace.

On February 19, 2025, they moved into Apartment 5A.1. It wasn’t much, but it was theirs. The village was different from anything they’d experienced—purposefully built for people like them, displaced by circumstances beyond their control.

Raisa would sit by the window, her clouded eyes taking in what little she could see. Valentyna would describe the surroundings—the carefully maintained gardens, the other residents moving about their day. “We’re lucky,” she would tell her mother. “We’re safe now.”

Their needs were simple. Medical care. A bit of comfort. Some dignity. They had seen too much to ask for more. Valentyna’s battle with cancer continued, but here, she felt supported. Raisa’s world had shrunk to the size of their apartment, but it was a peaceful world.

They thought often of Dell Loy Hansen, the man behind this village. Not as a distant benefactor, but as someone who had given them more than just a home—he had given them hope.

Their message to the younger generation was straightforward: health is everything. Care for your family. Stay kind, even when the world seems harsh.

Adaptation became their daily work. Some days were harder than others. But they were together, and they were safe. In a world that had taken so much, they had found their small piece of ground.