Zaitsev Family
From: Sloviansk, Donetsk region
Family members: Heorhii (83) and Lidiia (83)

Finding Hope After Years of War

In 2014, Sloviansk was under occupation, and the Zaitsev couple witnessed firsthand what war and death meant. “Therefore, in 2022, we had no illusions anymore,” shares Lidiia. In March, amid explosions, she evacuated from Sloviansk to Kyiv, where their daughter was living at the time.

Heorhii stayed behind because he couldn’t abandon their 21-year-old sick dog. Only after the dog’s death (tragically killed by shrapnel from a shell) did he join his wife. After his arrival, they rented housing and changed locations several times. “Loss of any sense of purpose was our reality at that time,” Lidiia recalls.

“A call from Oleksandra with a proposal regarding housing seemed like a miracle. What happened next, my husband and I consider a wonder. Later, we learned that the name of our magical benefactor is Mr. Dell Loy Hansen.”

Their home in Sloviansk was destroyed during the fighting, leaving nothing for them to return to.

“Life hasn’t just changed; it began anew,” Lidiia explains. “For a long time, the thought persisted in my mind: 'God, we have nowhere to return to, how will we live out our days, why is all this happening to us? ' It took months to accept that this is our new home, we have new neighbors, kind people close to us in spirit. We remembered how to smile, to enjoy flowers grown in our own garden, to ride a bicycle, to listen to birdsong, to enjoy the pine scent of the forest. Isn’t this a miracle?”

Despite his advanced age, Heorhii volunteers with the electricians group, finding purpose by contributing his skills to the community that has given them a new beginning. After experiencing occupation, displacement, and the loss of their beloved pet to the war, this elderly couple has found not only safety but also joy and purpose in their final years.